Milestone Events

A poem about moving to a new place.

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Durham

This place is beautiful enough, without

your running commentary.  The evening sun

delights each night: no need for photographs.

The castle's stood for centuries, it won't

be leaving in your lifetime. Just enjoy

without analysis, that's if you can.

This place is beautiful, but still you can

find ugliness.  It seems that you, without

a reason, try to drown all of your joy

and dwell in sorrow.  Shutting out the sun,

you turn your back, and think of all that won't

work out, and cry at your old photographs.

Forget the past, and lose the photographs.

Discard the dreams and memories, you can

go back to them one day, you know they won't

be missed, they're nothing you can't do without.

Begin each day by rising with the sun,

Or if that's unrealistic, start with joy.

There is, deep down in things, a quiet joy:

you need to look beyond the photographs

of people you love smiling in the sun.

Try focussing on something inner, can

you feel with your eyes closed? A strength without

a name. Sense the stability that won't

be quickly broken, there's a warmth that won't

desert you.  Living in you, there is joy.

It's hard enough to find that love, without

the constant pressure from you.  Photographs

can lie, don't look at any more, they can

play tricks with your emotions.  Feel the sun

today, let it caress your skin.  The sun

will always rise.  Perhaps your great love won't

be recognised, release it if you can,

as gently as a sigh.  Hold on to joy,

it's worth more than your many photographs,

it's the one thing you'll never live without.

You can already smile, you see the sun,

and know you're not without love, and you won't

keep looking for your joy in photographs.