.
the deck beneath us like a living thing
¿te acuerdas, te acuerdas?
or pushing up river for week after week
oui, je me souviens
the wind on the steppes, always the wind –
that and concern for the horses
quella è vita; è molto bella
and now
we have the clouds
below us
.
© John Stevens 2014
These lines are an afterthought to the poem sequence “The Silk Road”, recently completed and which began with “Frequent Flyers” at:
johnlooker.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/frequent-flyers/
They appeared last month, courtesy of Bonnie McClellan, as part of this year’s International Poetry Month hosted on her blog at:
http://bonniemcclellan.wordpress.com
.
Poetry from John Looker 
Lovely sequel. To have the clouds below you… a wonderful thought John.
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By: Ina on 16 March, 2014
at 11:56
I wish I could have included some Dutch, Ina!
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By: John Stevens on 17 March, 2014
at 10:10
Oh I like this – it made me smile.
I know you have relatives in New Zealand John.
I have just been introduced to the poetry of Hone Tuwhare – a New Zealand poet who also reflects gently on life and the natural world. I recommend him to you
David
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By: belfastdavid on 17 March, 2014
at 14:25
Thanks David. I don’t know that name and will look out for his books on our next trip.
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By: John Stevens on 17 March, 2014
at 15:38
Those last lines are the striking ones for me in this poem. The clouds below, what do they do? Do they block out our memory, the beauty of life? Where do we look? To the clouds and to the phantom earth? or above to the blue sky and the sun? The ending for me is very open and suggestive of many things. I have just been to New York and took a plane, so I, too, have written a poem which features clouds and memory (time). I thought of your poems as I wrote and as I sat in the plane looking down at the clouds!
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By: Anna Mark on 18 March, 2014
at 00:17
It’s very nice to think my poems came into your mind Anna. I’m looking forward to reading yours when you post it.
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By: John Stevens on 18 March, 2014
at 08:21
Yes, this is a nice summing up—but, but it takes flight also. This would be a nice time to reread Yeats’s ‘An Irish airman foresees his Death’.
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By: extrasimile on 18 March, 2014
at 01:49
The mood is different of course, but Yeats’s poem is outstanding, isn’t it?
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By: John Stevens on 18 March, 2014
at 08:27
hey Ina .. fancy meeting you here, at johnno’s place, I hope you are well. You too JS.
“that and concern for the horses”
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By: petebowes on 21 March, 2014
at 04:29
“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began”
to quote Tolkien, and sometimes, after the river, after riding across wind-blown steppes, the clouds are below us, and the silk road shimmers into horizons that lead to more horizons forever and ever into sunrise, sunset, and sunrise again.
A beautiful poem and a fitting summation, John.
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By: Thomas Davis on 24 March, 2014
at 20:37
That’s very nice of you Thomas.
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By: John Stevens on 25 March, 2014
at 22:08