And as you lie,

And as you lie,

Deer tread lightly through the fern

Making tasty nibbles

Of store-bought flowers left by sad-faced people

Squirrels play

Over, under, in and out

Running around

Practising their routines, highwire walking

Rolling and tumbling

Roughhousing the neighbour's kids

Birdhouses multiply as saplings

Grow into tall trees

There is always new growth

Pushing through the loam

Looking to the sky

Old biplanes rumble

We didn’t expect that

When through a pall of sorrow

We were looking for serenity

Survivors of world war two

Lovingly restored

Flown for special occasions

Respecting the memory

In a fly-over

All the while, in the distance,

Motorway traffic whooshes by

In a hiss of inflation

Barely heard

Unless there is a wind change

The whispers in the garden

Are as much of a comfort as the ebb and flow.

Crows rule the roost

As Magpies come and go

Silent partners

Sit on wooden benches

Heads bowed, old backs bent

With the weight of their own burden

There is a reluctance to move

A refusal to stay

A stubborn resolve to return

As if they were ever, truly away

Talking quietly, mouthing words

Straining for an answer

Respecting the right to solitude

Reaching out in empathy

To a lonely stranger

Looking lost

A righteous act without expectation

Of reward

Friendships may blossom one day

But not today,

Today is for private conversation

Thoughtful contemplation

Everlasting love.