All of the years
All of the walks
All the countless miles
Him looking back
To see that I'm still there
Or maybe wondering
If I needed saving
His pack instinct strong
He did save me
In ways he never knew
His stoic bravery inspired
His loyalty gave me strength
He only wanted my time
And now all I want is his
I was proud to be the Master
Of this complex uncomplicated male
Those hours in the park
Or on the couch
Or jumping around a treat
Until one of us took out the squeak
I want them back, those hours
He never knew he was small
Never accepted limitations
Even at the end
He hoisted his flag defiantly
He had come with me everywhere
Up mountains, in boats and shops
I pulled thorns from his paws
He plucked strings in my soul
He was a class act
And his name rhymes with heart

Doing things by half
Shouldn't be the worst
In fact it isn't half bad
Except when it's us

Doing things by half
May not be the best
But it's some way to that
If we can settle for less

Doing things by half
Is alien in your world
Half lit is almost dark
The lighting must be full

Doing things by half
Means we live a half life
Hemispheres on a map
Jet trails drawn in white

Doing things by half
Suggests that full is best
And yet we laugh
At suggestions like this

Doing things by half
Is how we survive
It's how we laugh
And it's why we cry

Doing things by half
Is a glass half drained
Lipstick on the glass
Then a Milanese train

Doing things by half
Is a hope half gone
Gone to your heart
Perhaps to return again

Doing things by half
Like doing things by heart
We learn them
We love them
We never forget

A golden thread connects us
Although it seems impossible it could be that long
It seems to stretch across continents
It joins up the water and land that lie between us
Threaded through airports and harbour walls
It effortlessly knits up plains and cities

A golden thread connects us
Although it seems impossible it could be that strong
It sketches a random pattern, known only to us
Disparate, otherwise unconnected backpages
Mississipi, Dallas, Mountain View, Santa Barbra
Stoneybatter, Skerries, Paris, Milan

A golden thread connects us
Although it seems impossible to think for how long
It stitches and gathers up time; so when you said
"It could be a thousand years or five minutes since we met"
I knew we both thought that forever is possible  
That everything previous would make sense of our present

A golden thread connects us
Although it seems impossible to see how it could
From a distance I saw you go through revolving doors
The golden hair caught my eye, flowing as you walked
I was a man trapped, saved only by one fact
That a golden thread had snagged on my clothes

Looking West, I think I can see you
In summer clothes, in sunshine, in light
Surroundings that fit and embrace you
Yet, hoping your eyes search for mine

I can't tell if you are looking Eastward
I don't expect you could pray to the East
On a globe, which horizon is forward?
Which sacrifice will guarantee the yield?

And meantime you shimmer on coastlines
On sand, and at parties, in bars
But I recall you when you were all mine
Quietly answering each other's prayers

Your love is scaffolding built overnight
Surrounding, supporting weathered stone
An unexpected artisan, you revitalise
You renovate and salvage and own

Own me, and this immobile cathedral
Impervious rock to skilled test
A sanctuary for prayers that come Eastward
A place where our love can be blessed

There have been longer nights;
Restless hours, reels of pictures
Playing back our hours together;
On a loop, with no ending.

There have been unbidden thoughts;
You entering from the wings;
Me, like a funnyman startled
By a heckle or misjudged audience.

There have been warmer days;
When your eyes burned bright
And seemed to light up my way;
Your laugh setting fire to my heart.

There have been colder days;
As when we walked on grass;
You in borrowed warmth;
Repaying me, the proud lender.

There have been racking doubts
And moments of essential fear;
A jet dropping from the sky;
A hapless ship of fools.

There have been longer nights
But I really can’t remember when;
Since you left, the dark conspires
But the solstice brings your light.