Fare Thee Well, Wish Thee Back

Her fingers leapt off mine
Like a butterfly from a shaken petal,
And the cab raced away
Squelching my farewell beneath the tyres.
Were tears outbrimming my eyes?
Or was it the dust bothering them?
If I closed my eyes
Would the dust or tears clear away?
Or better still, could I
Have her come back to me again?

Following Walden

Walden went to the woods
And so will I,
To watch the time and birds
Just float me by.

I will sleep on a tree
Or in some cave,
And with my life the way
To heaven pave.

I will write songs on trees
With twigs and nuts,
And drink the sap oozing
From the bark’s cuts.

I will bathe in rivers
Lashing with pebbles,
And in doing so create
Rippling rebels.

I will dig, I will fill
And lie on earth.
I will hide, I will walk
And savour my mirth.

One day I will pass on
Across the cloud,
While my body lies in
A moist leafy shroud.