The unruffled sea
early in the morning
down by Cristo Rei
a world waiting
to be made
a silence waiting
to be broken

swifts and martens
swirl in the clear air
trawling for flies
and a sparrowhawk
hovers above them
patiently aloof waiting
for bigger fry

a small boat
cuts a fine line
through the water
and time drifts behind it
lazes for a moment
on the polished surface
until it dissolves

out of the ocean
all things all life
all hopes and dreams
and I think of love
the language of it
the physical expression of it

how it cuts through
the very core of our being
how it reveals not just a truth
but the truth and purpose
of our existence
how that day I held her
for an eternity in my arms
and never wanted
to let go

John Lyons