Flamenco Sketches

Miles -

My life
Was dancing flamenco
Now I’m fleeing wars
Wars over food
I’m - lost in - the hills
Waiting without
Complaints for Spring
There’s hope
If shoots can grow
Upon an orange tree
A small hope
Many fruit trees have Disappeared from the land
I’ve painted plum flowers
But now I long to know
Once again
The taste of the plum
Our constant winds
Dry out the rare drops of rain

John -

The weather now dominates Our sad fate
Spring passes quickly
We do not see growth
Or colours change
I remember those
Days when
I watched fruit blush
After greens got thin
And reds became flushed
I loved how - twigs worked - Their magic by
Making the buds
And blossom grow
We have now learned
To live without voicing
Disappointment
Without the songs in our heart
Blaming our carelessness
I honoured life when I danced Flamenco
These days I soak
Dried nettles to taste
Something as lively as tea
But dancing feet - they dance
On the earth - no more


Caressing an ancient tree
Lifts the spirits
Plum flowers and
Blossoms from
Apple trees - these
I caressed
While painting
I can recall
The scent of hyacinth
The long thin hazel catkins
And cherry blossoms
Highly scented
Blowing gently
Around the courtyard
But now
We never see twigs
Bearing the weight
Of heavy pears
I - long – for sight of
Swallows returning
To hear the cry
Of wild geese flying overhead
Remember, remember
Your memories
Even
This rusty old hairpin
Gently reminds me
Of the harp
Played by my sister
I can over romanticise
The ones
Who have gone missing
I see them – from far off
Walking towards me
Sauntering
Each vista
I over anticipate
Just as excited lovers
Play hide and seek
Then a wind moves
The clouds on
Rearranging my hair
And changing my thoughts
As I drift slowly to sleep


Miles -

My soul wants - to
Return home
So I start to walk
I want to honour the promise
Of my liberty
I breathe in this sweet thought
Just like a child
And then forget
Which way
It’s not a walk to freedom
I am lost
But I’ve never known a home
Like a bird my heart
Desires to land
On every branch
There was a time
When I danced