The Pull of Stonehenge
We set out from Bath
Through the English
Countryside
The relentless greyness
Of the sky
Lending a constant drizzle
Of drama to the day
It can be seen for miles
On the horizon
As we approach
The sarsen towers
Of mystery
And the bluestones
Of forgotten meaning
A Neolithic madness
Growing bolder
As we hike across
Wet meadows
To get a closer look
They say Druids
Moved among them once
In rituals of seasons
And offerings to the sun
But for you and I
It’s a new beginning
With our own legends
Coalescing
As we pass beneath
Ancient knowing eyes
Illuminating
Hidden stories
Across lands of the dead
And the fragments
Of a deeper understanding
Of who we are
Alive in Rome
The nun flew by me
In her tiny Fiat
Straight through the crosswalk
Near St. Peter’s
Without slowing even slightly
Scowling as she passed
Apparently annoyed
That I had the nerve
To cross the street
In front of her
When there were things
To be done
In the Kingdom of the Lord
And quite clearly
She was late
So with a sense of relief
And renewed faith
At being given a second chance
To breathe
I pushed along the narrow street
Crowded with taxis
And tour busses
To the basilica
Through the archways
And across the square
Past the lines of tourists
And children splashing
In the fountains
To the small rented room
Above the osteria
Where I held you tightly
In our precariousness
As the days grew colder
And the devil
Danced across the rooftops
In autumn’s fading light
The Lost City
A lost ancient city
In the scrub plains
Of a desert land
The remnants of an empire
Under the forgotten
Persian sun
The opening of skies
Onto fractured stones
Pebbles on a pond
As we ripple out
Humble beginnings
From nomadic tribes
And lost treasures
Hidden under sand
Dusted over
And blown away
As we waltz
The length of forever
Oblivious
And the victors
Ride their horses
Into the empty square
John is a social worker working in the field of disability management and holds degrees in social work, rehabilitation services, and psychology. He is the author of three books of poetry: “March” (2019), “The Seasons of Us” (2019) and New Days (2020). His work has appeared widely in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies internationally. John is also a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee and lives in Caledon Ontario, Canada with his wife and two children.