Diana

No sooner had I seen her
I was captivated
She was like a swan gracing
Troubled waters
Descending forcefully
From a quest in long flight

Coming to rest on these weary
Eyes of mine
Eyes heavy with sorrow and
Meaningless toil

Now illuminated by this
Ever so splendid creature
Sophistication personified
Who couldn’t have been more
Elegant even if she’d tried
even if she had wore
A shimmering red dress

And her she was coming to meet me
After only a few short text messages
Of shared moments with others
Who treated hearts and emotions
With the triviality of a game
Of trumps or snap at best

And we related to each shared experience
Of the daunting attempt to make sense of it all

So we had common interest
Fractured hearts and dreams
Like a convoluted jigsaw
Hoping beyond hope
Of some bygone hero
To rearrange the pieces
Into some form of semblance
And order

Chaotic as it may seem
I knew she was the one
Even from our brief encounter
As I identified her pain
With the picture of mine
Even through the laughter of
Our oh so premature meeting
Which God only knew was the
First fruits of a rare and cherished flower

Yet still comprehension escapes me
As to where the time went that day
As in amongst all of the tears and laughter
Are hearts meet on the common ground
Of life’s joys and woes

In fact no sooner had we had our first
Embrace at the station
We were seated on a park bench
Entwined in a parting kiss
To rival the passion of long lost lovers
Parted endlessly by distance and time
Longing to rekindle the fires of a
Burning youthful lust and desire

And in between the sweat and tears,
Was just a blur,
Reminiscent of speed camera action
Of events captured on the memory of time
Reflected in those crimson eyes of hers
The colour of her heart and soul
Bleeding into one glorious tapestry
Of joy and pain

Yet the laughter lines told a story
Of bravery beyond measure through
Storms of devastation untold
And resilience and courage expressed
Only by saints of a less favourable era

And the gallantry of noble women
Who have braved the hottest battles in cold wars
That mankind had seen this side of the century

Yes her eyes reflected all those souls
That had defined her truly remarkable character
Yes the good and the bad and the down right greedy

Yes my friends this is Diana, the angel of the north
With wings of steel and a heart of gold
Exhibiting the grit of men folk at the coal face
Of life’s toughest exteriors

But having the innocence of a child
Who wears its pure heart on its torn sleeve
Because it know how to do no other

Yes Diana, your virtue surpasses
All who have gone before you?
And I'm pleased to give you my heart
To place beneath your wings of unbridled everlasting love
Until peace kisses eternity

Sean Benjamin 27 05 09