Out of the earth

Out of the earth
           this pine wood
out of the earth
           these pigments
out of the earth
           the oils used
out of the earth
           the wooden brush
and bristles
           the artist too

out of the earth
           from stardust
to stardust
           this simple
composition
           a smattering of light
in the darkness
           out of the earth
all life all love all art
           out of the earth

John Lyons

A quick dash of colour

A quick dash of colour
           to suggest dusty fields
of wheat and barley
           green pastures where
sheep and cattle graze
           the gentle hills and dales
through which blue rivers
           run their course
the red flourish of poppies
           in the wide meadows
quivering
           on their slender stems

the colour of earth
           and blue skies
and white clouds
           riding high :
this is where life lives
           where hearts break
and are mended
           and where energies
are all but exhausted
           in the pursuit of love

John Lyons

Pulsars

From the great vortex
           comes harmony
structure out of chaos
           energy that cools
into matter
           and ultimately
into flesh and blood

blood the colour of fire
           and of oxidised iron
love that descends
           into the mouth of hell
to retrieve love
           Orpheus armed only
with a harp

reality is
           what we imagine it to be
so too is love
           the love of one
created in our image
           and likeness
the whirl of emotions
           resisting
the centrifugal pull
           of the universe

light is the colour
           of life
it purifies the soul
           is music to our ears
is food of love
           is pulsars
of accelerated particles
           one pulse beating
in time to another
           in time

John Lyons

Stardom

I carry my silence with me
           it’s a place in which trees
and plants and the whole
           of nature exist without words
the pure being unqualified
           by thought or even feeling

in this place there is love
           that demands no expression
love as the air moves
           through my lungs
love as the blood courses
           through my veins
love that resolves
           the mystery of the universe
so that I no longer ask
           why stars ?
we – you and I – are the light
           that illuminates
the darkness
           we are warmth

I cannot see everywhere
           that I am
I can only be
           as I am

John Lyons

City by the lake

We live by water
blue skies
and in our parks
the browns
and greens of nature

We are made
of sky and water
and earth
fire keeps us
alive

John Lyons

To the rising sun

What I’m wondering
           on this lovely morning
is the purpose of it all
           my breath
my beating heart
           a neighbour’s dog
barking
           magpies
dressed like Napoleon
           believing that they
can conquer the world
           and I’m playing with words
looking forward
           to my next move
and the moon is there
           a reminder
that what goes around
           comes around
the sun has risen
           from the dead of night
and I am in love
           and that’s the truth

John Lyons

The colour of love

Colours
           that rise
within me
           that burn
with passion
           that consume me
that fire me up
           that spur me on
to express
           what is
within me
           a cloud
of feelings
           a constant
effervescence
           of colours
that coalesce
           into shapes
and gestures
           that are
a subscript
           for love

John Lyons