Warming currents of air
lift up your memories
as never quite before.
Exposed now and bare,
lying in tatters just out of reach,
like dying embers
of driftwood washed up on the beach
scattered where they fell,
still and resting finally
from the last rising swell.

Where do we go from here?
Should never have begun that affair.
A phrase enters your head;
a word spoken out of place.
Shouldn’t have come back.
It was a mistake from the start
to think it might actually work.
The suspicion is it won’t.

The early days of spring;
perhaps the chance
for a new beginning.
Nothing’s a waste of time,
if it adds to the process of learning.
The bitter cold
of the last few months
is slowly receding.
Perhaps today a coat needn’t be worn.

Step out as if it’s the last time.
Take a walk back along the beach.
Re-trace your thoughts with your steps.
Throw some light on your experiences.
Perhaps enlightenment will come in time.
It’s doubtful in truth.
Another walk is needed.
Make a mental note to do it soon,
before the crowds arrive with summer
and disperse the gathering gloom.  

ANDY BOTTERILL