Swear by your blood
that the beauty in life
is nothing less than
life itself
red roses in bloom
the sparrow’s song
lips born to kiss
Swear by your blood
that there is nothing
greater in life
than love
John Lyons
poetry
Hope in words
Hope in words
in the goodness
that rises up
out of the earth
The hawk eye
that spied a hawk
one Friday evening
at Earls Court station
a bird out
of its comfort zone
its implacable eyes
scouring for edible life
the poet who places
hope in words
that might carry the mind
to a better place
John Lyons
Think of the earth
Think of the earth
as a body
out of which
all bodies arise
think of the earth
as the life of life
of the origin
of all species
think of the earth
as a space in which
all movements
are defined
the motion of words
as much as sparrows
of angels as much
as the easterly wind
think of the earth
as time and consequence
all rolled into one
in separable existence
think of the earth
as our home from home
as the ultimate
alma mater
think of the earth
of a place to love
and to be loved
or be damned
out of friable soil
the red rose
and the beauty
of poetry
John Lyons
Vinícius de Moraes – Sonnet of love like a river
This infinite love of but a year
that is larger than time and all other things
This love that is real, and yet, notwithstanding
I scarcely believed existed still.
This love that appeared out of the blue
And that amid the drama became peace
This love that is the tomb wherein
My body lies buried forever.
This love of mine is like a river; an endless
And indolent nocturnal river,
Gliding gently through the wilderness…
And that carries me in its celestial course
aglow with passion in the darkness out
To the endless space of an endless sea.
Vinicius de Moraes
(translation by John Lyons)
Soneto do Amor Como Um Rio
Este infinito amor de um ano faz
Que é maior do que o tempo e do que tudo
Este amor que é real, e que, contudo
Eu já não cria que existisse mais.
Este amor que surgiu insuspeitado
E que dentro do drama fez-se em paz
Este amor que é o túmulo onde jaz
Meu corpo para sempre sepultado.
Este amor meu é como um rio; um rio
Noturno, interminável e tardio
A deslizar macio pelo ermo…
E que em seu curso sideral me leva
Iluminado de paixão na treva
Para o espaço sem fim de um mar sem termo.
Montevideo 1957
I love the simplicity
Soft glow of light
in the east
as day breaks
I see it through
the naked limbs
of a sycamore
light cloud cover
tinged
with pink
barely a breath
of wind
barely a sound
but for the chatter
of birds
the early risers
I love the simplicity
the blessing
of what it is
to be alive
John Lyons
Love lip and tongue
Silk dresses
out of worms
castings
that enrich
the soil
life that
feeds
on life
beauty is organic
the lip and tongue
of love
from dawn to dusk
how she embodied
my body
we were
as one earth
we are
of one earth
John Lyons
All things but age
All things age
but age
time simply
is
there are
no repetitions
love too
is of an age
timeless
ageless
all things age
but now
now that is
once and for all
all things age
but love
here now
what is
John Lyons
Harvesting love
Discovered in 1787 by William Herschel
the Heart Nebula – a mere 7500 light years
away from Earth – can be found
in the Cassiopeia constellation
in the Perseus Arm
of the Milky Way
An emission nebula
it owes its intense red glow
to ionised hydrogen gas
emanating from a small group
of stars near the nebula’s core
Observe how opaque lanes
of interstellar dust create
a heart-shaped silhouette
Dark dust lanes and dim stars
laws of entropy and attraction
and all the artists harvesting light
and love in our twilight world
John Lyons
Soft-petalled beauty
I write free from
the pressure of praise
my words go
largely unnoticed
and my subject
is what I see and hear
and feel –
during the day
I count sparrows
and at night
the outer stars
and how we so
reveal ourselves
in our acts of love
Not for no reason
are the flowers
we bring
to our host’s table
soft-petalled beauty
that knows its place
that fills our lives
with guileless grace
So when I took your hand
it was to hold it forever
it was for our love to be
contentment’s face
John Lyons
Land of plenty
The squeal of seagulls
just a mile or so inland
circling above the houses
observing how the other half live
the tidy backyards and
the gardens in disarray
I see the warm glow of sunshine
on bushes and fences
the bare trees scarcely stirred
in the early morning breeze
Much to be thankful for
in this land of plenty
in which there is time
to savour the peace
and make the most
of the love in our lives
John Lyons
johnjosephlyons 