Green Places

Green Places

(Words and music by and © Talis Kimberley, 2010)

Kitchen sink herbery,
Basil and rosemary grow
In between jamjars,
And where the recycling goes
No room for more
On the seventeenth floor of the tower –
Still, the rosemary flowers;
That’s all he needs,
A few summoning seeds and he’s home
In the clay and the loam.

Marjorie’s dahlias,
Pinks and azaleas bloom
Where she can see them
in the garden outside of her room
Small as the courtyard may be,
It’s a source of delight
For the scent and the sight;
Sparrows and wandering bees are her visitors here
Very small, very dear

Through Spring with her promise
And Summer with all of her graces
If you’re looking for Jack, then you’ll find him –
You’ll find him in all the green places.

Council allotments
With leeks and shallots standing tall
Digging by twilight
Till coffee and comfy-chair call
Each year’s a lesson, and
This year’s been spinach and chard –
Well, July has been hard;
New couple taking the plot down the path
And they hope
That he’ll show them the ropes

Through Spring with her promise…

And there’s still more green than there’s grey
Perhaps it was we, not Jack who went away

Moss on the garage
And lichen on tiles and stones
Weeds in the pavement
Or where you can see the land’s bones
Out on the brow of a hill,
Where it’s fields and woodlands
As far as the sky – then you know Jack’s nearby
Even the smallest of greenings
Are playing their part
And he’s there, at the heart –

Through Spring with her promise…
And there’s still more green…
Through Spring with her promise…