Just Pretend

The mind is constellated and crystalline
Unless it breaks. It has its valleys
And its darks, its sunlit uplands, places where
The heart freezes in a mist,
Confused by shadows of the past and future.
I'm waiting for you in the archway of a church
Forgotten - no-one comes by, the river of noon
Is wide and empty, birds fall silent,
Waiting for a mighty wave to hit the shore.

We don't know any more, why we still live here -
The child has gone, you want extra -
Clubs, bike rides in the evening, parties and alarms,
Any vivid sense of living that shouts with brio
And the human spark, a lover in your arms.
You cannot stand the shadow, see me there, and speak:
Are you coming home with me? Home? That house on the hill
Overlooking a wide horizon of invisible ships -
Journeys of the past! I might do, I'm thinking about it.

Randomness intrudes, helps you lose direction.
For those who sleep in forests or by the sea,
Doze off at the tiller, some kind experience
Takes the helm, fills the cells with pleasure,
And comforts you. Stranger, be kind, take me home,
Pretend I'm not your daddy.