Sunday 13 May 2012

Dragonfly by Mark Sargeant

A view from an old bedroom window.
Watching a car drive away, laden with a life.
We know how events can change us irrevocably,
the music of our past chiming every hour
like a grandfather clock, chopping up the silence,
taking us back to when we thought we knew how to live.


Maybe it comes down to those moments
when we are present, when we pay attention to the world:
to the way the light catches the electric blue of the dragonfly,
hovering like an echo, both still and all movement,
the smell of the yellow gorse flowers catching in your throat,
the softness of your hand in mine.


When we are old and have less need to speak,
what will we best remember? The orchestras that shaped us,
or the birdsong sprinkled amongst the leaves?
And if our memories start to scatter into the wind
like dandelion clocks, what are we left with but our bodies,
holding onto each other in the night, our breath without words,
living our days looking towards the sun.




Mark Sargeant,Shropshire, UK

6 comments:

Crafty Green Poet said...

Mark Sargeant lives in the wilds of Shropshire with his wife and unruly cat. He is an occasional poet, inspired by the light, the sea, the sky and birdsong. When not tramping around in the countryside or attempting adventurous yoga poses, he works as a social worker.

Anonymous said...

This is achingly beautiful.

cloudgathererholdmedown said...

heartbreakingly beautiful and wise.

Karen said...

This might well be the best thing I've read in a while. Lovely and true.

myrtle said...

Cool! such a wonderful masterpiece indeed.

Mr.Mistoffoles said...

it is a beautiful, well written, very true poem. I think that music is everything we do. It is how we live our lives. There is music to describe everything and everyone. :)