As the crow flies
or the hawk
that all-consuming
view of the world
noting the slightest
alteration of detail –
how we map our lives
And our relationships
There is in all of us
a natural hunger
for love
for acceptance
for the pleasure
of being with another
or among others
for the sharing
of full-fleshed
feelings and emotions
John Lyons
One voice
And then another
Lifestories told
In their own words
From their own
Individual
Points of view
To know what another
Feels or means
This is a skill indeed
And to be able to express
Clearly what one feels
And what one means
This too is indeed a skill
One life
And then another
When paths cross
Or paths diverge
Or when two travel
Side by side
Bound by love
John Lyons
In this universe
forged from heat
there is frost
on the garden wall
ice where water
has frozen
here and there
in the gutters
and sometimes love
that blows hot and cold
the ebb and flow of passion
of desire too
and silence
not the absence of words
perhaps more than ever
mulled in the mind
a horde of magpies
on the lawn
Napoleon has landed
and the years
that seem to set
their own pace
one two three
and forever counting
the fox has seen me
walking down the alley
and is beating a retreat
snow has fallen
in parts of the country
Yesterday I shivered
and remembered my age
but shrugged it off
and went on my way
what the naked eye sees
what the naked mind
apprehends
One forgets
how many miles
how many words
how much love
makes a life
John Lyons
It’s in our nature
for the mind to turn
constantly
to the body
In the midst of infinities
we breathe the specifics
of our senses
the actual here and now
that the eye catches
the complex simplicities
all around us
all within us
a sparrow’s wing
a rose petal
a face loved
for its eternal smile
Our constitution is founded
on the pursuit of beauty
which in turn is truth
which in turn
is happiness –
sadness only erupts
when beauty is betrayed
by untruths
Intensity is a virtue
so that we deliver
the essence of ourselves
in the purity of our desire
when one body
turns to another
John Lyons
In love life still retains
The pure waters of its infant eyes
Its mouth is still a flower
Which blooms not knowing how
In love life still retains
The grip of a child’s hands
Its feet strike out from the light
And head off towards the light
In love life retains always
A blithe and renascent heart
Nothing can ever end there
Tomorrow allayed by yesterday
Paul Éluard
(translation by John Lyons)
Chanson
Dans l’amour la vie a encore
L’eau pure de ses yeux d’enfant
Sa bouche est encore une fleur
Qui s’ouvre sans savoir comment
Dans l’amour la vie a encore
Ses mains agrippantes d’enfant
Ses pieds partent de la lumière
Et ils s’en vont vers la lumière
Dans l’amour la vie a toujours
Un cœur léger et renaissant
Rien n’y pourra jamais finir
Demain s’y allège d’hier.
johnjosephlyons 