Archive for the ‘Christchurch’ Category

2024-09-25 – The evening fire

Thursday, September 26th, 2024

I’ve been out and seen the world
in the restless years
passing through
the storms of passions
and changing alliances.

It’s all far away now
as the evening’s fire begin to burn.

I no longer yearn for the open highways
and the thrill of razor mountains.

Here, I’m settled in a quiet way now
with the hands of familiarity embracing me.

I am home after a long journey,
settled into a loving now,
which wishes
nothing else.

Gallagher
25Sep2024
Christchurch

– to the music of “My Thieving Heart”
by Sivert Høyem & Marie Munroe

2024-09-25#2 – Gerry

Thursday, September 26th, 2024

It’s a sad and relentless time
waiting for a friend to die.

Time crawls towards the moment
when he will be gone
and we cannot return afterwards.

All the memories, jointly held,
will be mine, alone, then.

Half of their meanings gone
and all of the living embrace
of a friendship vanished.

Gallagher
25Sep2024
Christchurch

– About Gerry Briggs in Paris
approaching his end. He died
on October 3rd.

2025-01-21 – I saw

Saturday, February 15th, 2025

I saw a mother holding a young girl
of perhaps a year and a half.
And as I looked,
I found that I could feel
what the little girl was feeling
as she hugged her mother.

The enclosing warmth,
the certain sense of security
and the loving protection
against all
the new and confusing mysteries
of the world around her.

It was, for me, and the small girl,
…everything…
for those few moments it lasted.
An endless safe place to be; for that time.

And then she chose to go down
onto the floor again
to walk around
and see what was there.

Her mother stood up behind and followed.
Just a woman with a child.

And yet so much had passed
and touched me
in just those few moments

gallagher
christchurch
21Jan25