Carving Her Name

restless mind meanders downstream

carried on a distraction of daydreams

listless from lack of natural light

crazy with cravings of river trips

wanting warm sun on shivery skin

longing for Lynch Island's welcome embrace

seeking a new spring in a favoured retreat

where only those with boats can go

where spears of golden sol can strike

crepuscular through leafy green

a spotlight on graceful swans feeding

long necks dipped in deep water

eyes of lovely Loddon lilies shaded

shy beneath each tiny bell shaped cap

her love, busy with a mallet

knocking on a chisel's hard head

chipping into thick bark of rowan

uprooted in winter's wayward storms

fallen across footsteps of their past

there he leaves his mark carved

in dead wood's quiet sadness

Reviews

[Temperance]

Chris, I love your work! Each one of your poems that I have read is like taking a stroll down a country road with no care in the world and feeling warm all over. Sometimes I miss the message because the words themselves are so comforting. Oh, if I could only write like that.... I am so glad I have met you here in the Cafe to be able to enjoy your lovely writing. Thank you for sharing.

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Temp, thank you for the
review which I found very encouraging. Sometimes there may not be a message. It might just be a string of thoughts or an observational piece. Pleased you enjoy my work. That has made my day.

Chris

[Lorry]

Thos feels to me like part sigh, part bucket list, for when freedom wags her finger at us and we can all escape into those much thoughtof cravings.
To get up one morning and decide without planning that a trip or visit will be made, where we pass actual real people and pass the time of day with them. To sit in a cafe and just smile at the clinking and chatter, after a bit of shopping to pamper those long caged selves that can but only dream of such luxury.
I wonder if we will turn into previous generations in years to come and talk incessantly about these times, like they do, starting every sentence with "During the lockdown..." instead of "During the war..." 😀

[Chris Shaw]

You know Lorry, I think you are right. We will be talking about before and after lockdown for years. For certain, it's not going to return to anything like normality when we do start to come out of it. Think it will go on for well ......until they find a vaccine. I actually wrote this poem about six weeks ago, before we got into this place, but I can see how apt it is for our present circumstances. Boating? When will I see our boat again? Yes, by now we would normally be on the river. Thanks for your visit and keep safe.

Chris

[Lorry]

You too Chris.