snow falls from an empty sky
a single tear from your cloud-blue eyes
too many tomorrows
too many tomorrows
never arrive
too many tomorrows
for the rest of our lives
too many tomorrows
that should be today
too many tomorrows
when I do not dare say
sunrise or so
sunrise or so it must have been
beyond the fog the castle
beyond the clouds my thoughts run wild
What did we do?
What did we do?
(the physical)
(the thoughtful)
(the spiritual)
(the self)
we saw through the sadness
joy
a single diamond in the silence
reflection connection direction
community solidarity
we saw who we are and the people we can be
we brought the different together
and we worked and we worked
and we did what we could for one another
simplicity clarity creativity
feeling healing
we understood as much as we could do
we did all the new that we could
we sensed the taste of the great outdoors
and we fell in love with the world
(the physical)
(the thoughtful)
(the spiritual)
(the self)
First published on the National Galleries of Scotland website December 2020
Idea, words and image by US.
What did we do? We wanted something good to come from 2020 so we:
- asked friends and strangers for positive words from 2020
- turned the words into an image
- grouped the words into thoughts and
- turned the thoughts into other words (the poem).
Thank you to every one who helped.
I awoke from a dream
I awoke from a dream
we were lying in bed
holding hands
the dream I don’t remember
Close your eyes
Close your eyes.
Hold them closed and create the one light that shines in the darkness.
It is an impossible light.
It should not exist but it does.
Focus on the light, see it from all sides.
See how it illuminates everything you bring near it.
Remember the light when you open your eyes.
It will always be there when you need it.
birds reflected
birds reflected in the gutter
looping between our heads and the clouds
a wing’s breadth of existence revealed
Shopping list
Shopping list:
Coffee.
Things to do:
Be grateful.
People to love:
That’s you.
the look
though my eyes I thought I had kept closed
you discovered my deepest hard-kept secret
light locked within me shone out
and you
at last
understood
The two grey men sitting
The two grey men sitting on the park bench
look away from one another
across the scuffled snow.
Both have hats, neither wears gloves.
Scarves are tucked into overcoats.
Their hands must be cold
and their feet too in the thin leather shoes.
Then they turn and look towards each other;
their eyes smile
and their fingers touch.
The ice-blue air is suddenly less bitter.
Tomorrow they will be here again.
simonsalento 