Words from a photo

Memory that pulls a moment from the past
a sensation a scent or a taste perhaps a kiss

the gentle waters lapping on the shore
of Lake Atitlán and in the distance

the clear silhouette of three volcanoes
I’m wearing a straw hat bought

on the Day of the Dead in the Mexican city
of Cuernavaca and around my neck

a red bandanna : it was early morning
and the sunlight already fierce and

I was waiting for a launch to take me across
the lake to the foot of one of the volcanoes

at that point in time I had my whole life
ahead of me and everything seemed

to be right on track and as we crossed the lake
I leant over the side of the boat

and trailed my fingers in the calm waters
no thought of the love I had left behind

John Lyons