A clear day and no memories
        I see the tall overgrown grass
bathed in the grey light and
        here and there the stems
of dandelions waiting for the sun
        before they’ll unfold their flowers
: birds are flying overhead
        but there is complete silence

As the wind rises the branches
        of the trees at the end of the garden
begin to sway to its rhythm
        The picnic table is littered
with dry faded blossom and the empty
        wooden chairs have that forlorn
abandoned look as though none of us
        had ever been here before

John Lyons

The mineral voice of the earth
        the breeze that moves
through the fresh
        green leaves of summer
leaves that sustain
        the patter of rainfall
and are soon dry
        once the sun appears

And how her mood changed
        how her body grew lighter :
the step of a dancer
        as she made her way
through the warmer days
        clear days with no memory
other than the pattern of love
        drawn across shared hours

John Lyons

A clear day and no memories
        a young summer’s day
expected to fulfil all the rituals
        of the season : a magpie
proclaiming its matey boasts
        from the summit of a garden conifer

In the live living air
        knowledge of this day
is there to create
        since none of us
has ever been here before
        nor will ever return

But the poet throws down
        a trusty gauntlet : how
might we transform the shallow
        spectacle of our lives
and endow our activities
        with lustrous meaning

John Lyons

I cannot speak your thoughts
        no more than I can read
the mind of the stars
        That fear possessed you
I know this :
        that your courage failed
at the point of decision
        and so you withdrew

I know that in that moment
        whole cities faded out of sight
and certain ardent words were lost
        as you hid your heart from me

We are of the world but
        we cannot fix it unless
we’re prepared to defend
        love’s innocence and carry
our convictions to the grave
        and never betray our kiss

John Lyons

Under the full moon
        down by the Thames
I said to her— Be the voice
        of my night
of my day
        of my love

Let us share the sunrise
        the silent hour at dusk
and together
        let us scan the sky
for shooting stars
        Let us travel
down to the shore
        to hear the sea-sound
to be lulled by
        its timeless serenade

John Lyons

This is how the wind shifts
        from one moment to another
the result of the tussle
        between high and low pressure

and as the wind shifts
        so too the day and all
the illusions and disillusions
        it brings as part of its baggage

and our thoughts go spinning
        and our feelings reeling
as warm and cold fronts clash
        under the barometric weight

human eagerness driven by
        clear blue skies can so easily
collapse into lethargy and
        irrational gloom :

it takes a spark to ignite
        our passions and set the stage
for love and romance to unfold
        and fill our lives with joy