Four Bows – the Navarra Quartet at the Town Hall last night

Four bows are dancing

In chandelier light mirrored

Beethoven soaring

by Gail

A poem for a beautiful old soul, Elizabeth Gibson, who left this earth tonight.  Her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, relatives and friends will remember her for all the humour and wisdom and love she gave.

Elizabeth

Soft rain in darkness

Blown upon the wind your soul

Whispers a farewell

 ***

Owl call from the woods

Deep, dignified, of ages

Wise as ancient stone

***

Laughing fox cubs play

Games with moonbeams ‘til the dawn

Wakes new life to birth

 ***

Seeds and flowers, fruit

Trees in orchards blossoming

Harvest of your love

by Gail

A poem for the wedding of Martin and Jayne, who married at the United Reformed Church in Malmesbury on Saturday.

United, Reformed

The Marriage of Martin and Jayne

When the Queen of Sheba, so ‘tis said

Came to ask of Solomon the King

Whether the tales told of him held true

He saw her beauty and entrusted her

With knowledge and the wisdom of all things

 *******

In this dear church today bedecked, with

Country flowers from Wiltshire gardens plucked

She comes to plight eternal troth to him

He stands beneath the Rood with certainty

The Rede she brings his true heart comprehends

 *******

In lilting voice the kind Welsh minister intones

A rare and ancient Scottish wedding rite

Rings grace their hands as tokens of their love

Engraven with the joy of Cornish lands

Solemn the vows they speak to man and God

*******

Today so many complicated threads

Are bound together with simplicity

Two become one within the blesséd Trinity

Faith from the halls of history made new

United, reformed and sanctified with Love

 

 

by Gail Foster

This poem was written for Lou and Lee from Devizes.  They were wed in the Town Hall on Saturday and afterwards went to a Secret Garden.  In this garden stood a Himalayan Birch, the bark of which is still used as paper for the writing of sacred mantras in Sanskrit.

The Marriage of Lou and Lee

On the bark of a Himalayan tree

Are spells of love in Sanskrit writ

In the warp and the weft of a tapestry

Are threads of love together wove

Entwined today are Lou and Lee

Lamp of their love by starlight lit

Two souls are one, together, free

As the wind in the leaves of a secret grove

*******

The love of a bird for a beast is true

Bright as a flame in the heat of May

As old as the love that Adam knew

Darker than Eve beneath the tree

Blessed be the love of Lee and Lou

Let flowers bloom, let night be day

Two voices, one song, in the words “I do”

For love is eternal symmetry

Gail Foster

 

The concrete odour of the city clothes him

Hard shiny man, well cut of suit and strong

With chiselled jaw grim set, close shaven

Stone cold steel in his eye, expensive

Briefcase neatly ordered, files, spreadsheets

Parker pen and plans, unfinished business

Bullet pointed, paper clipped, prioritised

Caffeine sharpened, cufflinked and unblinking

Urban warrior, an alpha male armed

For corporate war and marching for the train

Inside his heart warmed silken pocket hides

A love note and a photo of a child

Upstairs at The Fold in The Lamb on Friday (Lonely Tourist) – a haiku

A thousand wind chimes

Thrilling on your ringing strings

Singing bright guitar

This is for Kieran Moore, who starts work for Discovery Records on Monday, and is one of the nicest and most effective people that I have ever met…

Posting Sound

Here he comes with cheerful feet

The postman on his final round

No Moore dancing up the street

From now on he’ll be posting sound

 

He’s been a postman man and boy

All kinds of folk will miss his knock

The mail delivered franked with joy

From now on he’ll be posting rock

 

There’s a new gig on the bill

A different beat for foot to tap

No chance of him standing still

From now on he’ll be posting rap

 

The man has music in his hands

Rhythm in his heart and shoes

He’s the dude that books the bands

From now on he’ll be posting blues

 

With hop and step and whistle bright

He posts the last mail on his round

Future promise, Sheer delight

From now on he’ll be posting sound

 

 

 

 

 

A haiku for my dear friend Rose’s partner Chris, who always woke up singing.  His funeral is in Bristol this Friday.  Bless his soul and all who love him.

may blossom falling

angel feather on the wind

echo of your song