It Was Summer Time Then
It was summer time then
The country summer stood about you
Head high, sweet scents, the allures
Of flowers, undeniable in charm.
That was reality, no question.
You could not escape the immediate
Nor had any wish to do so.
Now it is not quite the same.
Question and answer, the broad design
Of living needs details to confirm it.
And summer time, the season’s beauty
Is forced behind the eyes.
The ears are absent and the scent
Of flowers eludes. You would escape
And daily seek the loop the lead
To simplicity, the return to childhood.
Aged six, your companions,
The trust in the familiar, your parents’
Shadow falling across the grass
The acknowledged faith in authority.
Those eased your mind and left
The inquisitive life free to seek
All sensuousness without reflection.
In faith then lies delight of day and night.
So wander not alone, the obvious avoiding
Of complexity, but put your faith aright
In eyes that seek no truths, but contain
Their own uneasiness, in comfort quieten.
You cannot solve the world’s malady, but assuage
And without full span such help more hinders,