Talisman and charm

Talisman and charm

Not in a box

but in a globe of glass, blown beautifully

from sand

first then, with care, that blackbird

perfecting his rounded notes,

with harmony from others 

seren squeak and a monotone  whistler;

swifts for the swoop, scything the sky

(which should be blue of course, plus cirrus swirls).

The pool, aqua, small ripples in a dance.

Lavender and bee buzz, whirring hummingbird moth;

Pierre de Ronsard rose

(for its white to pink blush), scent of honeysuckle, red rose

entwined, scrambling over the wall, pale stone warm

with crevices, creatures: a lizard wriggling, the tree frog

(for he quacks so loudly and his lime-bright green).

Pines,  preferably parasol for the south

the promise of salt and sea, Mediterranean

but cypress too, index upwards, Fingers of God.

Elderflower in May, frothed like cream

or lavish lacy cloth; geranium crushed pungent

basil most certainly, and mint

poppies (for they are survivors) brash, splash, staining the wheat fields red.

Put in cornflowers too!

Some terracotta tiles ridged on rooves

and last of all, a finishing and a frame

blue on the edge of the sky,

beloved mountains floating, like a dream.

All of it sealed, saved in a globe of glass

hung where it glows in the light

for talisman and charm,  

memories held in a poem

against the darkest day

2nd June 2012, Hounoux