Of Love & Remembrance

An early work.

With a nod to Mary Holden What was that you said ? “To imitate the masters is an exercise in intimidation. Yet they beg to thread through to modern life and lives.”

1

Brushed in splendour of fearlessness,

she declines by chance of giving,

and much of grace and gracelessness

Is whispered of the living.

In this light she all but hears

Life’s softened breath upon her skin;

she turns to find his shadow near,

as soft and gentle as Widdershin.

Where on her bed, the moonlight falls

last, like a candle’s charm, Truth unveils

love’s quiet chant and calls Eternity,

to dance: Kept,and greying arm in arm,

until full-voiced, they fade un-seeing,

as colours wash silence into being.

11

In spite of solace unencumbered,

he dared not wonder where or why,

Desire flared in thoughts remembered

Across the face of a careless lie.

Love stepped out in naked frailty,

while ruthless tongues face to face confess’d

a twilight sweetened with uncertainty;

an ancient and bittersweet distress

that dares to tell of skyblue eyes

poised to haunt on any face,

yet that promise sought of timely lies,

beyond reproach and without trace,

takes refuge in a sovereign glance,

that thought he might have stood a chance.

111

Insipid shadows cannot bypass

Virtues of an outcast bride.

Beneath the images of stained-glass

Where laughter breaks her pride.

And when to touch, but none to see

The grace of her fragile neck

Dreams die and assume they’re free

Though once and always held in check.

Still to choose an elusive wish

From where blessed and vacant steps a stranger

To taste the shape of at least one kiss.

Yet none to trace her curvaceous lust

As her book of splendour slowly falls to dust

©1984

1st of three part Sonnet Cycle ‘Of Love & Remembrance’.

History.

At 24, this was my first attempt at writing sonnets. The full cycle is three sets of three sonnets and explores remembrance, loss and reconciliation. It was set as lieder for voice and piano. This first cycle was published in 2006.

Lieder Performances: for Piano & Mezzo-Soprano: 1986 Linder Auditorium, Wits University, (SA), 1995 Konzertsaal Solothurn (CH), TheatreRigiblick, Zürich (CH)

World’s Strand. International Anthology of Poetry, Edition Cicero 2006.