The Forester

I met you in the woods on a dark autumn day
When a fair young fawn, fleeting, Ied me astray
Through the deep green clouds, into the clearing
Where you held court with the oak and yew trees.
A red flannel shirt and denim slacks were your robes;
An empty packet of cigarettes, your sceptre.
Your beard was an ancient thicket, sage and regal,
And your long sylvan hair was your silver circlet.
Your eyes were black and deep, bottomless wells
Wisened by the water of life you always
Carried in the pocket of your duffle coat.
I was a lost child, under a moonless canopy,
Seeking a star that might, perchance, light my way.
You never said a word, but slowly raised your eyes,
And with your arms outstretched, you parted the emerald sea.
We never said a word, but I went, and you wept,
Your smile stinging my back with my own shame.
When I turned around for a last glimpse of you,
I saw you swinging your axe, bringing it down,
Felling timber for your own funeral pyre.

Tim, 17 June 2008

Adele

Parting is all we know of heaven,
And all we need of hell. - Emily Dickinson

You walked away at night
So the sun couldn't comb
Your raven locks
With its weary fingers.
Winter was waiting for you,
So you went sailing
Through his white cloak
And into the marshes.

Wee will o' the wisp,
I hope you found your way
To where the loughs are crisp
With the ringlets of laughter.

You walked away the night
When Lughnasadh began.
Lily body,
Reaped by raucous fingers;
You never knew who you were,
So you went smoothly,
Without a care,
Into the gloomy moors.

Wee will o' the wisp,
I hope you found your way
To where the nights are lit
With the serenades of stars.

You walked away that night,
Ere I could say goodbye.
Your crimson lips
Never uttered a word.
I was left pining
In the blue mist,
On the banks of the Styx.

Wee will o' the wisp
Is it an ignis fatuus
To hope that you will tread
On the sands of Elysion
With us?

Wee will o' the wisp,
We're still dancing round the fire,
Backwards, backwards.
We're still there where you left us,
But closer, closer.
Closer, Adele.

Tim, 16 June 2008