Patina
Birds together strokes of pen
Flew in a purposeful arc
Crossing the Sunday sky
Low lit the beautiful blue
Burnt umber/ amber leaves still, not fallen
Back-dropped our day
Cambridge ever the film-set
Scene one the Chop House
Crush and clatter, wine
And chatter, family resumés
Births and death, dear father now gone home
Scene two dark Dutch interiors
Plain and protestant
Sun shaft through windows
White on lace, women at their work
A silence sweetly sung
Same chiaroscuro, trick of light
King’s college chapel by candle glow
White robes moving, soaring song
Ritual and liturgy, perfect show
Flicker, shadow, weight of time
Polished Henry’s seat
So redolence and patina
History’s gifts
To our shared forty years, our friendship
Made to shine
Birds together strokes of pen
Flew in a purposeful arc
Crossing the Sunday sky
Low lit the beautiful blue
Burnt umber/ amber leaves still, not fallen
Back-dropped our day
Cambridge ever the film-set
Scene one the Chop House
Crush and clatter, wine
And chatter, family resumés
Births and death, dear father now gone home
Scene two dark Dutch interiors
Plain and protestant
Sun shaft through windows
White on lace, women at their work
A silence sweetly sung
Same chiaroscuro, trick of light
King’s college chapel by candle glow
White robes moving, soaring song
Ritual and liturgy, perfect show
Flicker, shadow, weight of time
Polished Henry’s seat
So redolence and patina
History’s gifts
To our shared forty years, our friendship
Made to shine
30th November 2011, Brighton, for the friends with love
Sally, That's lovely, Thank you very much. I think the light and shade motif is very clever when I look back on all that shared time. Lots of love, Gill
ReplyDeleteThank you for the poem, Sally - beautiful and moving.- From Jean J.
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