The magnolias are in bloom

The purple magnolia is in bloom
           streets are lined with cherry blossom
nature’s festive season has begun
           rains have rejuvenated the land

What more is there to love
           than the pulse of life
rising up from the dead of winter
           with the promise of spring
leading us on into the heart
           of a mid-summer’s dream ?

Even the fish that move silently
           through the reeds know
that a change is at hand
           the signs are there in the sunlight
that floods the river’s depths
           and in the soft debris of petals
swept downstream by the tide of life
           All that lives dies so as to live again :
it’s what nature knows
           and nature never lies

John Lyons

My Sunday morning

Sunday moves slowly
           through the day
I feel the emptiness of space
           all around me
the silence and the air
           moving imperceptibly
through the trees
           Life is breathing
and I’m soaking it in
           my mind dipping
into and out of
           a number of memories
flicking through emotions
           through times and places
where we were happy
           together

She is never far
           from my thoughts
though she’s far
           from me now
There was a time
           when so much of her life
was a part of my life
           making absolute separation
impossible
           I learn to live with it
one day at a time
           I read poetry
for consolation
           poetry that is about
what truly counts
           human feelings
love for all things
           that are good
and the truest of all loves
           that never fades

John Lyons