I had set myself up

I had set myself up
I had followed previous pathways
I had engineered the circumstances
I had encouraged myself to be vulnerable

Who is this I
Who does not let go of past pleasures
Who is this I
Who does not hang on to present situations

It is not the time for shadows
Neither is it the time for daylight
It is not the time for doubt
No, but it is time to polish the certainties

Do I mean to polish the certainties
Of a time which I cannot yet remember
Or do I mean to polish the certainties
Of the here and the now

The book on my lap is titled
100 Years of Art in Britain
I thought it might lead me to Chris Drury
Even though the centenary concluded in 1988

In 1985 it celebrates Tim Head’s Erasers
Which is also on the front cover
Thereby providing repetitive homage to
 ‘the world’s final balance continued existence’

There is, or so it seems so far
No continuation of the trail to Friston Forest
Or at least no sign of the continued existence
Of Shelter for Dreaming, or its heir apparent

Available from Amazon

See more of Christopher's work Here

So the shelter which isn’t finished

So the shelter which isn’t finished
Has become a place of choice
With water flowing and splashing
It is a fine spot for a pre-packed salad

Available from Amazon

See more of Christopher's work Here

I couldn’t help myself

I couldn’t help myself
But to elevate the pond
Now the blackbirds
Come here to join me
To duck, to waddle
To shake themselves all over
Today a new one arrived
More pristine, more reserved
Than his friend, who he watches
This pond then, in 2019
Has become their shelter
Especially in the sunshine
Such as there is today
Also the lawn has been mowed
The waterfalls and fountains
Are in full working order
If there was a building inspector
I think he would sign the job off
Although I myself can see
One or two places for improvement
A few more stones, a few more pebbles
A flatter spirit-level top-line
All around the periphery
Such details might be lost on you
But to the artisan who knows
They would draw some comment

Available from Amazon

See more of Christopher's work Here

The opportunity to work

The opportunity to work
Is the thing which intrigues me
Can I do it, can you do it, can we do it
Without our too too easily
Becoming distracted, or dismayed

Today’s interference is from Belgium
A sampler CD from Everything Is Low
Purchased, whilst searching
For Everything Is Slow

Yet it is only one mischief of many
For I also have a recollection of seeing
Mr Drury’s Basket For Crows
In an exhibition in York

Also, in the same place
Almost for certain
I saw sculptured railway sleepers
Which in turn takes me to my pond project

I could make a box
Out of wood
With one low side
To act as the waterfall

So slow was the mindful eating
That I did not finish
Either the biscuit or the coffee
Before I got up to go

Later, sat in the same room
Watching YouTube music videos
Before Netflix shows me the photographer
Who, at the height of his career

Lost the use of his camera arm
He turned to yoga and meditation
To find new shelters for his talents
As I too had done, those many years ago

Available from Amazon

See more of Christopher's work Here

What is it which urges us to look back

What is it which urges us to look back
Have we got some innate need for regression
Do we seek to open up blocked passageways
Which we alone have formed or created

Am I, with you
Are we still asking ourselves
All of those imponderable questions
Is that why we seek out the shelters

Is that why we need to construct
Spaces for dreaming
Places for deeper journeys
Across, beyond, and also within ourselves

There is little other
Than a photograph in the book
No one has trailed out a rope
To the location in Friston Forest

I did search; but time, time moves on
There may be other records, elsewhere
Held by those we haven’t yet met
Or those whom we have lost along the way

So to today’s shelter
There is some certainty, joy even
In the bright spring sunlight
Of the here and the now

Which raises memories of sparkles
On those other waters, be they
Dams, ponds, lakes, seas, or oceans
What is it which gifts these pleasures

Do I imagine the lightness
The freedoms
Are the good feelings
Wholly of my imagination

Or do you, do we, does everyone
Share in the absolute’s positivity
Are we all able to see the good side
To find our way out of the darkness

All the while caressing
The major and minor irritations
Which remind us
Of the ever present presence of despair

Available from Amazon

See more of Christopher's work Here