Wednesday 23 November 2011

Goodbye Summer


Goodbye Summer,
daylight’s getting shorter;
over my left shoulder
light is turning colder.

Will it turn me inward
shut away from contact,
will it leap to Fall,
will it spiral downward?

Will a stranger call me
outward into friendship
or simply turn out needy
sharing all his hardships?

Will he turn out pesky
needing my attention
when clearly my intention’s
to head off into Winter?

Will his name be Peter
asking for the answers
to the harder questions,
will his name be Thomas?

Shall I be like Samson
knocking down a temple
or crawl into my snow-hole
and pray for further sunshine,

tweet of birds home early
and drip, drip, drip of ice-melt
when Spring is in the garden
and I can stretch my bones out?

Or will I freeze by balls off
and Death arrive to take me
and will I finally get that
only Love sustains me?

Sunday 20 November 2011

Handle


I found a door
locked tight;
another door
tightly locked.

Behind a corner
- there – a door,
a corridor
and then – a door.

Mummy – give me keys!
Daddy – help me!
I’m terrified at staying put
(locked inside a boring zoo)

but when a keeper lifts the latch,
I’m scared of bounding through.