'To Give Painless Light' – A Selection of Poems by LJS

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Poem 98: Fragment

Below them the enchanted forest was a vast carpet of alternating geens
and greys, almost a breathing movement of contrasts as the River of Doth
winding southwards appeared as a ribbon of cleanly bright silver in the
early morning light. Softly the wizard asked ‘why do you cry my son … Read the rest


Poem 97: Ghost Meetings

how much like love
your screaming
blast of loneliness
forming the shallows
that thicken
the spelling time
between our lives
tightly couching
thinly courting
cleverly counting
(are we not supple)
the many waists
of freedom

and the cities
desolated by talk
the streets
of ghost meetings
the wall to
wall … Read the rest


Poem 96: Winter Sun

Lord I sing
of the winter sun
winter name
the winter flame
winter lain
the winter snow
winter frost
the winter web
winter spun
the winter forest
winter turn
the winter land
winter ride
the winter wind
winter stride
the winter one
of whom
we now sing
“see amid
the … Read the rest


Poem 95: Your Love is a Room

your love
is a room
I will one day
walk into
a castle view
see fox on the hill
a castle room
moat and drawbridge
courtyard seat
tree of flowers
lute and pipe
see Lord on the hill
my Ladys room
fur and velvet
fire and shadow
tapestry of doves… Read the rest


Poem 94: When I Was Young

when I was young and alive
and upon the earth
she sang, yea
how she sung this
earth weaving green
circles around the sun
then guardian Lord
of her temperaments
unaltered mirror
showed true
facial skies
where birds
of quiet music
and blazing colour
jewelled bright paths
for the gods … Read the rest


Poem 93: Song of The Iron Flute,

I choose you,
and the rock and the stone
for singing the soundless
song of the iron flute
a prayerful song
remotely heard
as the silence
of a blazing red rose
against a thorn black sky
heavy with the pre-storm quiet
where falcon hunt falcon
by the dark clouds rim-light… Read the rest


Poem 92: And the Sea Between

on a train
and thinking
of our distance
how wide it seems
with time
and the sea between
and the gulls
forever crying
forgiven,
forgiven and gone
gone away
but only as far
as a distance
of Sunday morning bells
one chime, close
as a hairs breadth
on a thousand … Read the rest


Poem 91: Remember Me

remember me,
(if you will)
when a full bright moon
escapes from
a bank of dark cloud
and the darkness
before you
is revealed as safe.

remember me
when the early morning sun
touches your body
and you become
new with the day
and later at noon
when his strength… Read the rest


Poem 90: Love Can You Steal

love can you steal for me
time enough
to mend the wings of children
(from fairie to myth)
of all the children
my dreams have given birth to
you only know
what kingdoms they have to see
with real kings in store
(kindly)
and limited seasons for flying
love pray … Read the rest


Poem 89: The Deer the Tiger

all the partings that were you and I
in the deep dying down of the poets lift
have nothing to give now to the freedom fall
and the floating fall on fairy wings
from sea bred parks and too distant stars
and non-magic rings, its a natural fall
to the … Read the rest


Poem 88: Love Light

love light now you sing

you sing

in flesh and bone

and know there is a limit

to being

when being is alone

and that behind our game

and around its frame

by the stretching

of our skin

there is no name

and there is no claim

to this loving… Read the rest


Poem 87: Sounds Like

sounds like

the softening sharp

of a cloud island sky

the clapping blue

of a land galleoned sea

the gentle dark

of a blanket spun night

the trembling peace

of a child sighted day

the opening gate

of a million star mile

the kissing white

of a dove led swan… Read the rest


Poem 86: Dark Tigers

seen in the last light of heaven

this futures children

of quick movement and knowing eye

grinning with the ferocity

of dark tigers

at the giant rain clad archers

a thousand feet tall

firing bolts of fine blue

above princely shepherds

and peaceful dragons

in a silent stately dance

slow … Read the rest


Poem 85: The Man Who Lives in Rainbows

the man who lives in rainbows
wants to live with you
his body
the half circle on your earth
his hands
to your heart
his feet
to your soul
his touching
and your colours
become his colours
of bright blinding purity
his pulse
softly expanding
your rings of light
and … Read the rest


Poem 84: Day Tripper

does your months trickery of Sundays
spent as shiny country one days
bring a least a mantis of hope
for all the hollow beeches
an their tubes of fine steel
laid in by the micro’s eye
embalming constant life
for the lifting up of fairy lights
on chains of wired … Read the rest


Poem 83: Fortress of Gold

someone strong death
in his pale fortress of gold
laid down by me today
and in between whispers
we spoke of you
of loving and belonging.

I cried, he laughed
laughter as a corkscrewing
of hyenas, convulsing the room
into a rutting of crude fires
low without light
but darkly … Read the rest


Poem 82: The Length of a Star

last night

I needed you

to see me home

but had only

the length of a star

to show me the way

but the light

having travelled

so far

got lost

in a tree

and so did I

when I learn

how to ignore

the night sky

or move trees… Read the rest


Poem 81: If Love Like a Child

if love like a child should call you out

you would play

as freely then as the evening rain

you would fall

long and peacefully

between the high trees

never once losing sight of the sun

or taking count of your falling

you would fall

wonder fully touching each part… Read the rest


Poem 80: From the West

from the west like Ceasers jaw
the snarling grey wind
has broken our sea
to a screaming chatter of gulls
the land
to a mist of slow falling trees
the sky
to a machine of spinning by wheels
and the rivers too cold
for a lifetime of dreams
like stone… Read the rest


Poem 79: Between the Loud Wars

dear lady watch dove
vaguely watching
for a soft walking
between the loud wars
it cannot be now,
no more than your
flowered carpets of peace
brave from the opiates bloom
on the night thinkers cowl,
for the moons elbow
has formed his curved tooth
in the barren caves
of … Read the rest


Poem 78: Autumn Scarecrows

come Autumn scarecrows
and chance on me
dance on me
ere the winters blood
is spread on me
and the hireling days
of dark and grave
are sleeting
all their rains on me
chains on me
this loud mornings gale
breaks on me
and the softly broken
feet of summer… Read the rest


Poem 77: The Lions Child

see how frantically

the coppered ants of time

rushing on rims of fire

scramble over your blazoned tiles

stacked like forgotten hymn books

running onto the bridge way

of your stained harsh windows

telling how gladly the giant topaz

has found his soul today

though trapped and bleeding

in the … Read the rest


Poem 76: My Poems Shadow

locked as tides are

into the hollow

of your body’s quiet

my poems shadow

rising and falling

line for line

in naked form

my loves shadow

as the child

and bright star resting

I find with you

my souls shadow

now more real to me

than all my verse

my … Read the rest


Poem 75: The Short Day

seen on this one day
of the short day
the first frost
of savage men
a laying on my hands
and laughing
at the near night
of demon eyed willows
dancing on pyres
of secluded dreams
echoed and gone,
echoed and gone
fleeing before
the black almond
crossed men
marching … Read the rest