One day
he walked in a park
and the first sight
was a board of Bylaws
the times: of open and close
and the sight of this
and suddenly smelling the flowers...
When he was young
he read the Iliad and the Odyssey
borrowed from the library
carried them home through the park
past flower beds, tennis courts
through a long leafy tunnel of trees
sycamore trees
Meeting Miriam and her friends
who knowing no history
seemed so much younger than he
And did not Helen tease warriors...
and so on through the seasons
until one day
finding himself alone
like a thrush on a lawn
hearing the earth move
and if ever you too
should find yourself alone
hearing the earth move
do not move too quickly
towards Helen, or Miriam
if you see them nearby
Do not dissolve the moment in motion.
Dick Russell
Published in ORBIS 153, UK
Editor Carole Baldock
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