Credences

Whatever evasions there have been
           the truth is that reality
carries a deadly sting in its tail
           Nonchalance has brought me so far
it carried me through tropical dusts
           where life oozed from succulent fruits
where exotic birds swooped and soared
           and cats purred and paraded themselves
through the days that they owned
           In those years beauty led me astray
made promises I knew to be false
           projected a mirage in a desert of love
but I had put out my own eyes
           blind as I was to the consequence

Now love comes softly
           with a whisper in the ear
built as she is from a humbler
           but more authentic grade of dust
Yes we are dust but with more
           than the illusion of cohesion
We have purpose and direction
           guided by the tenderness
                      of our feelings

The old schoolhouse is still there
           though the slates and chalk
and endless talk
           are long gone and the curriculum
has changed beyond recognition
           And across the street
the centuries-old church
           built from Kentish flint
stands as custodian
           of the human debris
that lies in its yard

We know the sun
           to be sleepless
we know that nature
           will replenish its store
that leaves and chestnuts
           will once again adorn
the trees in Shenstone Park
           We know that the past
is tougher than flint
           that it cannot be broken
We know that a single day
           can enrich a year
And we know that a kiss
           can save a life forever

John Lyons