stars softly look down
a single distant owl calls
stones wise as lovers
love
from my wounds
from my wounds
wings grew
deep breath
and love
I flew
beyond the hedge
beyond the hedge the sound
of children laughing
beyond the bridge the sight
of feathers falling
beyond the sea the sense
of two hearts beating
beyond all time the memory
of your hand in mine
what do you expect me to say when you suddenly walk into the room looking like
waterfalls split rainbows
flow upwards
the sound of the sea in Aphrodite’s seashell
the rushing of blood in my ears
Stars?
Stars?
What do I need with stars
when you are in my arms
and I in yours?
injection
if you could pump my arm full of resilience
my heart hard-filled with hope
I would have no need for medicines
and perhaps again I could love
like matches or gasoline
hearts are so flammable
like matches or gasoline
heat love and the oxygen of attention
the eternal triangle
once more
seeing – finally seeing
running
thought free
one’s heart travels
to where one longs to be
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.
simonsalento 