I was surrounded
By the sound
Of jet aircraft
Out on manœuvres
Also above
A flight
From Manchester
To Istanbul
Further down the drain
In the skies far distance
A longer range aeroplane
On its way to Montreal
Unfortunately
When I reached the road
I had to dodge the cars and the wagons
For there were no pavements
What does it matter
When and where mistakes were made
Or even if good decisions were taken
All that is important is the here and now
I have a feeling that it is over
I am being let down gently
Isn’t that what they say
I had intended to write all day
Then my son rang
To say he might have diabetes
And the postman knocks at my door
To deliver my mind journal
A little extravagance, or maybe not
I did think to ask you
If I had said anything wrong
Or done something I shouldn’t have
Also, in the greater scheme of things
Perhaps I should try
To keep the conversation going
I could not give you
All of my love
For the one who came before
Had already entered
The depth of my soul
And for the one
Who is to come next, when
The barrel is almost empty
The well is running dry
The heart now beats on vapours
What else can be left to give
Write about the deer
And the butterfly
Go on
You know
That you want to
Write about the sunlight
The strong frost
And the birdsong
Remind yourself
How good this makes you feel
Write about the Caramac chocolate
Which you savour
Or devour more like
With your morning coffee
After a trip to the dentist
Write about the upgrades
Which nowadays
Are available
For everything you do
At every place you go
I was broken
A year before you found me
I am breaking again
Seventeen years later
In between the breaking
And the broken
There have been times of joy
There have been peak experiences
Today there is a strong frost
As I take my black Americano
Unlike the beach café in Rhodes
Where I watched you swim in the sea
