in case I forget..

The River rumbled, the cold air blew
Blackbirds called from where they flew
Graffitied bridges, graced the path
Where the trains cross the Hambrook Marsh

With no great effort, reeds and ducks
Mixed with fences and viaducts
The ancient spires of Canterbury
Rose peaceful, from the trees

I got the bus then, up to the coast
Trudged the stones and watched the boats
Stopped for coffee and wrote some stuff
On the gist of, is this enough?

And it made me want to stay
Not to bow out just yet
So I wrote this straight away
Just in case I forget

Then I remembered Tommy Flynn’s
Fiddles banjos and mandolins
Jigs and polkas, harmonies
On the whistle - young Marie

Stumbling round from bar to bar
Wielding Fergie’s old guitar
Old folk songs from Tennessee
My drunken gurus, gave them to me

And it made me want to stay
Not to bow out just yet
So I wrote this straight away
Just in case I forget

What’s the balance, the ratio?
20-80? I don’t know…
Between joy and when it’s gone
What will keep us hanging on?

And walking with these thoughts so vast
I looked down on the Winter grass  
The frost was melted by the sun
And on each blade a dewdrop hung

I moved along the forest floor
noting that, although I’m poor
And life is short and can be cruel
Around me lay a bed of jewels

And it made me want to stay
Not to bow out just yet
So I wrote this straight away
Just in case I forget