Poetry: Awakening to the World

These are some poems that I wrote as I became aware of the world around me.  They were written during the period 1979 – 1981.  There were many things changing in my life at that time, the most important being an emerging of my heart and soul from a very dark place.  Up until that moment in time I had lived a very selfish, egotistical life and noticed very little outside my own personal desires. 

As things changed, it was as though a heavy mist slowly rolled back and I was able to see that I was not the only being on the planet earth.  I began to see the beauty and, sometimes, the exquisite simplicity of nature.  I awakened also to the glory of man-made art: beautifully constructed buildings, paintings, sculpture, and much more.  The poems represent a small part of that awakening.

Madrid At Sunrise

Soft, grey shadows on the far horizon

Leaning against the golden pink glow of sunrise.

And as I watch, she is slowly denuded

Of her vaporous dawn haze,

Revealed in all her proud morning glory,

Waking to yet another day.

Madrid, 1979

Daffodils On My Desk (for Doreen)

Papers piled around you

Haphazardly strewn across the desk;

An empty coffee cup brown stained

      Sits beside large files.

    Typewriters clack noisily

Churning out an endless stream of words.

Grey clouds fill the window

Which looks out onto other windows.

Yet you bright beauties

Fill an otherwise tedious day

With a splash of brilliant yellow

As bright as any shining sun,

Your trumpets raised in glorious salute

Heralding in the coming summer.

London, 1980

The Bridge At Night

A fragile string of yellow lights

That spans the silver bay below,

Twinkling at its own reflection

Mirrored in the water’s flow.

Italy, 1981