Author: irlandesuk

That mirror moment

irlandesuk poetry

That mirror moment

Hard cold cruelty
           of the mirror
true friend of time
           harshest critic
inflexible judgment
           how thin
how destructive
           your silver lining
as you throw back
           in our faces
every wrinkle
           every line
every error
           of excess

and how you prowl the world
           lurking
in every unexpected corner
           ready to pounce
in halls and bathrooms
           hotels and restaurants
to confront and unnerve us
           when masks have dropped
and we are left alone
           with little more
than our intimate
           loveless reality

John Lyons

Time threads its way

irlandesuk art, poetry
jewel
Precious stone, John Lyons (oil on wood)

Time threads its way

Time threads its way
           through the rain
down into the gutter
           down into the earth
the gentle drizzle of time
           and I lie here thinking of her
far away now
           but remembering the closeness
the soft warmth of her body
           the beauty of her composure
the sheer energy of her existence
           everything that drew me to her

As galaxies roll around the universe
           as stars are born and others die
as fresh shoots of life appear
           all around me I pine for her
hating her absence and the silence
           with which she has filled
my days and nights
           There was an intensity
to what we shared
           with all the simplicity
of passion – and I know
           that it can never die
And so I wait for her
           to turn again – to return
to place her heart
           into my hands once more

John Lyons

Global meltdown

irlandesuk art , , , ,
melting world
Global meltdown, John Lyons (oil on wood)

Perhaps I’m eating too much cheese, despite knowing that the flatulence from cattle breeding – and that includes milch cows – is contributing to the overproduction of methane gas in the atmosphere.

I suppose that makes my camembert consumption not particularly friendly to the environment, but what can you do? I don’t want to raise a stink about it.

Nevertheless, here’s my apocalyptic vision (on a camembert lid) of climate warming leading to global meltdown.

John Lyons

A poem for the day

irlandesuk art, poetry
underpainting
Abstract geometries, John Lyons (oil on canvas)

A poem for the day

Spring with all its promise
           the flowers that we cut
tulips and irises and daffodils
           the words we hold
close to our hearts
           when time moves
at a gentler pace
           and we hear the coo of doves
as nature positions itself
           for all that it takes
for the species to survive
           the particles of life
coming together
           difference converging

and young children skip
           along the pavements
and lovers embrace
           under the shade
of willow and oak
           A world that the beholder
imagines and savours
           in the mind and heart
Light borne on the tide
           the river suffused
and the oceans deep
           with the mystery
Knowledge of things –
           chromatic achievements
are as naught
           when love is absent

John Lyons

Wings for a day

irlandesuk poetry

Wings for a day

A tiny white butterfly
           the smallest I’ve ever seen
flutters among the wild flowers
           on a stretch of wasteland
between two railway tracks
           its pale wings gently
paddling the air in which it floats
           from bloom to bloom

Nectar to feed its brief life
           nectar to fuel its brief love
nectar to sustain its brief beauty
           a poem to celebrate the memory

John Lyons

Highgate Wood

irlandesuk poetry

 

Highgate Wood

Highgate Wood

Ancient woodland
           hornbeam holly and oak
new growth shooting up
           alongside the deadwood
fungi feeding on the carcasses 
          of fallen trees

At night bats
           have the run of the place
– pipistrelles – natterers –
           and common noctules

but by day the dogs
           are out in force
dragging their owners
           by the lead
kicking up the dirt
           as they go

John Lyons

Revised from earlier post

Canary Wharf

irlandesuk poetry

Canary Wharf

The early morning
           chatter of birds
never idle
           never pointless

a roll call
           present
and fighting fit
           here I am

let the day begin
           bring it on
time may ruffle
           our feathers

but it will never
           defeat us
and by God it’s great
           to be alive

John Lyons

 

Shades of love

irlandesuk poetry

Shades of love

With silver light
           the sun sets
handing the day
           to night

in the darkness
           your body my horizon
your murmur
          sound of the sea

the moon hides
           in the tall trees
their branches
           winnowing the wind

love’s simplicity
           defies definition
but my heart
           never tires of its song

John Lyons

 

Lip service to love

irlandesuk poetry

Lip service to love

April showers May flowers
           Bluebells line the railway line
the sun hides in the sky
           and at night the darkness
beats at my window
           I see silence all around me
I hear it in my heart
           the stillness of trees
that long for birds
           to alight on their branches

April flowers May showers
           and lambs frolic in the fields
the beautiful illusion of blue skies
           and summer silences
At night the world curls
           into a ball
sleeps by my door
           until first light
when untrammelled dreams
           unravel before my eyes
an occupational hazard
           pays lip service to love

John Lyons

 

Palette portrait

irlandesuk poetry

Palette Portrait

So many times
           I slept by your side
woke before you
           and lay there
admiring the beauty
           you embody
the softness of your breath
           your lips pursed
the calm assurance
           with which you dreamt
your cares away
           I longed for you to wake
but waited patiently
           until your eyelids
began to flicker
           and finally opened
and welcomed me
           with a smile
into your heart
           my love

John Lyons