running
thought free
one’s heart travels
to where one longs to be
love
on Valentine’s morning
on Valentine’s morning
in my dreams
I hold you in my arms
asleep
dreaming of warmth and security
and what we shall do
when we awake
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.
Shopping list
Shopping list:
Coffee.
Things to do:
Be grateful.
People to love:
That’s you.
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.
let us go out
let us go out into the snow hand in hand we two
and if the snow should fall
and we should fall
and the snow should cover us
so be it
bare branches
bare branches tangle
across the face of the moon
my love is simple
do you dream
do you dream of me
move me there
from here
at a distance?
do I dream of you
see you here
when you’re there
at a distance?
yes, we share a dream
you who are here
and I who am there
defying distance
I asked an old one the secret of life and they said
thoughts and words and feelings
companionship and friendship and loving
but most of all
yes most of all
blood and sweat and honey
my knowledge of your love
my knowledge of your love for me
is the shade of a full-leaved tree across my heart;
it brings calm
and the possibility of sleep
