We lay face down
On the lush green grass
In the shade of an ancient oak
Beside a glistening blue lake
In which mallards, moorhens
And a cormorant interloper
Swam free.
Our hearts seemed
As full as they could be
At least for now.
We listened to Joni and Neil
On a tinny tape recorder,
As we clasped each other’s hands
And glazed into each other’s eyes
Through a thick Panama red,
Or was it Lebanese black,
Haze.
Our love seemed
Set to last for ever
At least for now.
We knitted clumsy daisy chains
And giggled at the geeks
Hunched over dreary textbooks
In the glinting glass-filled library,
Named for a vice-chancellor
We never cared to know or meet.
Our lives semed joyful,
Sweet, carefree
At least for now.
It was a year before I saw you again,
Dancing, or rather stumbling
In the courtyard fountains,
Eyes dead, clothes ripped
And hair unwashed,
Lost in a darker, more dangerous world
Than the one we had enjoyed
On that glowing afternoon
Twelve months before.
I cannot now remember how
We met, or parted, at that time;
Even your name escapes my memory,
But what I do recall is that
I loved you then with all my heart,
And do so once again today
At least for now.
Tony Quarrington 