And yet
what is mind ?
Say that we are
textual beings
readers of all things
say that words are
our common currency
our feelings
put into breath
our ideas
all notions
of time and space
all relationships
and especially
that shared passion
we call love
John Lyons
How the moon hung
that night in the black sky
a thin slither of light
its body all but eclipsed
the stars were out
your stars and mine
they share the same bed
the same destiny too
John Lyons
Male and female
in the meadow
a swathe
of red anemones
petals that open
as the day dawns
that close
as night falls
delicate pinks
and whites
that both
expose
and in turn
enclose
the womb-like bed
upon which future
generations
are conceived
John Lyons
Nastische Bewegung
Mann und Frau
auf der Wiese
ein Schwall
roter Anemonen
Blütenblätter die sich
im Morgengrauen öffnen
so nah wie die Nacht
hereinbricht
zarte rosa und weiß
die beide aussetzen
und schließen Sie der Reihe
nach das mutterschoßartige Bett ein
auf dem zukünftige Generationen
empfangen werden
The past of rich remembrance
the smell of it under blue skies
the taste and touch of it
endless hope stretching out
beyond days beyond years
lounging on summer lawns
or under the innocent shade of trees
there where in her eyes I once saw
there is such a thing as heaven
somewhere I so longed to be
John Lyons
Left to its own devices
nature will always
reassert itself
Every species
struggles in the face
of adversity
longs to survive
and that’s a fact
The foxes have grown fat
living off the fat of the land
the urban foxes once
skinny and mangy
now have bright coats
and they strut
from back garden
to back garden
as though they were
the kings of the pile
John Lyons
Auf sich allein gestellt
setzt sich die Natur
immer wieder durch
Jede Spezies kämpft
angesichts von Widrigkeiten
ums Überleben
und das ist eine Tatsache
Die Füchse sind fett geworden
und leben vom Fett des Landes
die Stadtfüchse einst dünn und räudig
haben jetzt helle Mäntel
und sie stolzieren
von Garten zu Garten
als wären sie
die Könige des Haufens
Oceans of them
line the roads
through the woods
border the edges
of the water-runlets
grow all along the old fences
and are scattered in profusion
over the fields
An eight-petalled blossom
of gold-yellow clear and bright
with a brown tuft in the middle
nearly as large as a silver half-dollar
is very common : yesterday
on a long drive I noticed it
thickly lining the borders
of the brooks everywhere
Then there is a beautiful weed
covered with blue flowers
however white is the prevailing colour
but there are all hues and beauties
especially on the frequent tracts
of half-opened scrub-oak
and dwarf cedar hereabout
—wild asters of all colours
Despite the frost-touch
the hardy little chaps
maintain themselves
in all their bloom
Walt Whitman
(Adapted by John Lyons from Specimen Days, first published in 1882.)
Make a list
of all the things
we all do
we must do
or die
make a list
of all the things
we can do
we can all do
it’s a big world
for so many
small minds
make a list
of all the positives
of all the negatives
draw up
the balance sheet
be grateful for
some things
militate for others
make a list of all
that makes you
happy
make a list of all
that makes you
sad
choose a partner
and compare notes
John Lyons
