cascading water
blue cranes circle in the air above
copper coloured lizards on warm rocks
cherry blossom
oak leaves
the azure sky is stretched over the skeletal clouds like a skin
like a memory pulled over the years
and faded of all colour
eels in the pool hiding in shadow
musical garden
flowers swaying to the beat
lilies ripple outwards gracefully
poppies nodding luxuriant sleep
goldfish drink the air with soft gulp
tranquil tea house where we meet
the windows are half open
i drink my tea and daydream
i listen to your voice drift on outside
somewhere
i listen to the intricate language of the birds
their many different tongues
the little creek speaks and babbles in the shallows
i listen to your soft voice leading me on
youve taken my hand
and you stroke it gently
you stroke and talk
talk and stroke
playing me like an instrument
sometimes you say a word
and your fingers emphasise it with gentle pressure
sometimes you pull on my fingers and whisper shhhh
i drink my tea and think of the foam fingered sea
and sailors in storms
and explorers in jungle temples searching for the crystal
divers swim through atlantis in the cold depths
but a monster has taken up residence there now
outside children are playing in the abandoned pleasure huts
you talk to me in your way
there is no continuity
i hear the words but they sound foreign
i see your lips pronouncing the words
but i hear the sound in my heart
the meanings tumble out all over the place
my mind thinks of the power and intelligence of vishnu
my heart thinks of the love all the love he must have had
you are talking about life
the lives you have led
the lovelives lived
the life of a lifetime
the love of your life
it doesnt matter
you are not even listening to yourself
no one else is there
the eel suddenly darts in the pool
a light wind ruffles the surface
you are talking and stroking my hand
you say
heaven is relative
heaven for one, hell for another
heaven must be deserved
heaven is open to all
heaven is not what you expect
heaven has vacancies
heaven has a glorious view
heaven is heaven
a tiny melancholy cloud blocks out the sun
for a moment everything seems changed
the water becomes suddenly opaque
the birds all leave
the lizards scuttle away
the fish sink deep into the pools murk
you stop stroking my hand and let it fall
you no longer are saying anything
i still hear some words lingering on
you stare out the window
you gaze at the view
you become lost in some thought
then the sun returns
you stand up
you say
lets go