Still, After All Those Years

To stay over
For the sake of staying over
Seems a crazy thing to do
Yet if I should ask you
Or you should ask me
To stay over
For the sake of staying over
Then all of a sudden
The craziness would be gone

If I should stay over
And for certain
Nothing is certain
But
If I should stay over
Would it be
For the sake of staying over
Or because I was crazy to stay over with you
Or that you had once said
You were crazy over me, and my staying over

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But For One

06:30 for Matins
The monks sat in between
The choir stalls
Only me in the congregation
I don’t have my watch
So don’t know the time

Are the chairs placed
To form a circle
Is this a way for the monks
To protect each other

The brilliant bright morning light
Shines through
Penetrates the stain glass windows
It is magnificent
Even with my reactolite glasses

It would be good to have you beside me
To hold onto my hand

There is a natural light to this morning
Which relieves the need
For any artificial illumination
I would like to take a photograph
In the chapel, but right now we are told:
Be on your guard against false gods

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To Robert And Maxim

I was going to look on the computer
To see what poems
Went into last years Abbey collection

Did I have another book
Besides hanging on
And letting go

Did I interweave the poems
Or make the book
With two separate sections

Still I seek you out
Still I find some purpose
In turning up your image

Still I hang on
Still I let go
With no certainty of achieving either

Yes, there is more of a peace
Than when there was
Less of a peace

Yes, there is more of a me
Than there is
A reflection of someone other

Now isn’t the time though
Or maybe
Now is exactly the time

Yes, now could be the very moment
For all that I see is in front of me
To finally make an appearance

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Robust

Me and one other
And no monks at all
But it is early
Still five minutes to go
Though
If this was football
One wouldn’t expect a big crowd
Even under floodlights

The bells ring
The monks arrive
Including the one
Who I thought to be not very well
My impatience goes before me
The monks are reaching ten
But still no one else
In the congregation
And it is now straight up eight o’clock
The official new starting time for Compline

We kick off (pardon the pun)
A few moments late
This time we are easily outnumbered
And are no match for the men in gowns
Do not give the devil this opportunity
Is the message from the pulpit
Which could have been Bill Shankly’s
Very words, for his team’s encouragement

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Curfew

This room
Could easily have
A three-quarters
Or double-bed

I could happily invite you two
To stay the night
To make a right mess
Of my settled phase of life

Of course I shouldn’t invite you
For way too many rules
Would have to be broken in the process
But wouldn’t it just be fun

I doubt it would even work again
To ask you out on a date
Even with the men in black
As my supporting act

So that’s that then
Leave things as they are
Don’t disturb the peace
Don’t be made a scapegoat

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