A single white swan
on the canal
up by Harrow Road
as though it had been
waiting for me
and that I had just
to admire the purity
of its plumage
the supple elegance
of its slow-bending neck
the necessary simplicity
of its being in the world
without a care
a promise of all good
things to come
in good time

2017

John Lyons

Un cygne blanc solitaire

Un cygne blanc solitaire,
sur le canal
près de Harrow Road,
comme s’il m’attendait,
et que je devais
simplement
admirer la pureté
de son plumage,
l’élégance souple de son cou
qui se courbait lentement,
la simplicité nécessaire
de son existence
sans souci,
la promesse de tous
les bonheurs à venir
en temps voulu.