Friday night

Friday night

And after the pain, more pain.
Deep and dark
loathful separation.
The black clamour of blindness,
the taut grip of death.
Time stopped: a different eternity.
Memories of friends and Father
the lifeline at fingers edge.
In this red-black deep
there is no passion, no joy, no light:
just the wailing of souls
and a tomorrow that never dawns.
The most recent of memories hold no respite,
the grip of nail and thorn
no gentle reminder of love.
And that last kiss
exploded
in the collision of kingdoms.
Yet I will wait in this gaping darkness
for the greeting touch
of a Father in tears,
three days of eternity away.

Devalued Green

Devalued green

Blue and yellow made love,
green was colour,
green was eyes.

You were pasture
greeting dawn with night tears.
Somewhere for sheep to graze,
for tumbles of careless lovers,
for last wicket stands
and the honour of the village,
for knotted streamers
of children and maypole.

You had an affair with feelings;
townsfolk jealously sentenced you “envy”
at a rigged identity parade.

On parole, in middle age,
you again heard the whisper of peace,
but, too old for romping lovers,
you waved flags for whales and seals.

When you entered politics
I began looking for other colours
in the grass.
You have emerald eyes.

and the sound of a wind

….and the sound of a wind.
Acts 2 v2

For an instant it was quiet.
Then the sound of the wind
like an invisible gatecrasher,
a rush before the rainstorm,
filled the air
a powerful charge in the atmosphere of time.
But nothing stirred.
the days gleaning of dust
loitering of the floor
remained unmoved
in its silent vigil to the heat.
And there was the sound of the wind
a gathering tide rushing sea defences
an unstoppable movement in the flow of time.
The sound only, filled the air
a wind unsensed by eye.
No tell-tale genuflection of drapes
no bowing of stems nor wafting of smell.
There was the sound of the wind.
But there was a sign of this invisible guest
there were beach-crashing waves
there were cloud-rending, life changing,
burning signs.
There were tongues of fire.