A Poet's Blog: Roger N.Taber shares his thoughts & poems...

Thoughts and observations by English poet Roger N. Taber, a retired librarian and poet-novelist.- "Ethnicity, Religion, Gender, Sexuality ... these are but parts of a whole. It is the whole that counts." RNT [NB While I have no wish to create a social network, I will always reply to critical emails about my poetry. Contact: rogertab@aol.com].

Name:
Location: London, United Kingdom

Sadly, a bad fall in 2012 has left me with a mobility problem, and being diagnosed with prostate cancer the same year hasn't helped, but I get out and about with my trusty walking stick as much as I can, take each day as it comes and try to keep looking on the bright(er) side of life. Many of my poems reflect the need to nurture a positive-thinking mindset whatever life throws at us.

Friday 25 October 2019

You-Me-Us, a Garden for all Seasons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

A new poem today, relevant to everyone, regardless of ethnicity, sexuality, religion...or whatever; for this reason it will appear on both blogs. (I am encouraged, by the way, that some readers who use a shared computer have, in turn, recently felt encouraged to dip occasionally into both blogs after years years of being wary of others rushing to any misleading judgement of them for their reading one or the other.)

Now, the singular beauty of memory is that we can not only revisit kinder times when life is treating us badly, but also revisit the same positive feelings feelings that inspired us then and call for a repeat performance; such is the lasting power of inspiration, neither subject to time nor place, but a 'live' memory upon which we are free to draw upon for inner strength at such times as we need it most. Oh, and we can all be sure of those if  (hopefully) only now and thenno matter who or where we are in the world.

YOU-ME-US, A GARDEN FOR ALL SEASONS


It could have been just another walk
in the garden, only it meant more than that
to both of us as we would never walk
this way again, among flowers all colours
and trees whose branches might well
have been greeting or waving us goodbye,
sunlight glancing off smiley leaves like tears of joy
for being alive and well

Clouds across the sun attempt in vain
to send our spirits into free fall just yet awhile,
the sunshine of your smile inviting me
to fly with you across a world struggling
(but succeeding, if barely) to combat
its fears of homegrown bigotry and hate
fed a mind-body-spirit taught but to trust our “betters”
to know what’s best for us

A light rain, as if the heavens weeping
at this, our parting from a garden more beautiful
than any Eden could be, Earth Mother
embracing us, any tears but for the passing
of a Here-and-Now into an Unknown,
where contemporaneity as fickle as the wind,
now friend, now enemy, no sooner dragging us down
than lending a helping hand

Hugging, kissing, our parting less in sorrow
for treasuring and archiving the moment


Copyright R. N. Taber 2019

[Note: This poem also appears on my gay-interest blog today.]


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