Time Will Tell
Returns to harbour
Laden with lobster
Two sons waiting
On the jetty
The younger runs out to greet
“Hi dad!”
Four Daughters
Already out to sea
On her second run
One daughter aboard
Pulling traps from the bottom
Pulling lobsters from traps
Proud dad
Imaginary
Lines crossed in the car’s back seat
Dad arm from the front
Greater than the magic of fairytales
Is a simpler
More beautiful enchantment
When once upon a time
Comes with every sunrise
Here’s a realm
Where every little girl
Is a princess
Holding court
Over puppy dogs
And rag dolls
With her maids
And maidens
Explores a wonderland
Of salt spray
Sea shells
And hermit crabs
While the ocean
Stretches out
Beyond the horizon
Of imagination
Beckoning
This the golden hour
In advance of sun’s eclipse
I am with you
Hand in hand
Follow every laboured breath
A life of laughter, love and kindness shared
With wordless gaze and poignant smile
A tear
A sigh
A tightened grasp
Then return to fitful rest
A slumber which will last the night
But I’ll be here when you awake
In golden hour
Your hand I’ll take
Until at last
Your sun may set
On a crisp December day
Atop an inverted sky
Snowy clouds
Blown across the ice
Thighs itch
From penetrating chill
A wan sun
Does nothing to warm
A few moments here
To record the scene
Then retreat
To the warmth
Of electric fire
A sugary cup
Of cocoa
And family
Of space and time
Of politics and social norms
Of family and friends
The things that stay
But never stay the same
The ephemeral things
Lost and soon forgotten
Nothing ever stays
But change
Which is often the point
Of these things we do to landscapes
Change the landscape
Change each other
Change ourselves
I have to admit
To some minor or major
Moments of fascination
Or delight
Or longing
Emotion moving my core
With some rekindled
Long-forgotten moment
Or chapter
In a life becoming much too long
To hold all the memories
Within my mind alone
A birthday card
A letter written but never sent
Elementary report cards
And aptitude test results
A story I’d written
With misshapen letters
And a child’s innocence
A Dragnet drama
Starring a detective snake
Age eight
I am struck by the depth of gratitude
Rising like a sun with my own inner light
For the guidance, support and encouragement
Offered by family and friends and mentors
And the generous kindness of strangers
Who have made of themselves
Friends
I stand here
In the light
With my platoon
Ready to take on
Anything
Thank You
Some mad portal
Always seems to appear
And I find my way
My failures seem always
To be failures of perseverance
When I turn away from the path
Pix to Words 