Good Morning.

I have a book of poems written by Pablo Neruda which i haven't opened in a long time, but of course today i can't find it.

He, or some of his words were in my mind today as i drove past the exuberant cherry cheers that are laughing and dancing in the hedgerows.

Still, they might in fact be Almond trees, or even Hawthorn , but their message is one of joy and celebration.

The moon joined in last night, a few days after full, mercurial in quick silver clouds and this morning the irrepressible and insistent sun woke me early and lead me to the meadow where a deer and her child grazed unaware with the drilling of a woodpecker in the forest behind the only sound.

It wasn't this poem that came to mind but this one will do.

Fable of the Mermaid and the Drunks

All these fellows were there inside when she entered
Utterly naked.
They'd been drinking and began to spit at her,
Recently come from the river, she understood nothing.
She was a mermaid who had lost her way,
The taunts flowed over her glistening flesh
Obscenities drenched her golden breasts.
A stranger to tears, she did not weep,
A stranger to clothes, she did not dress.
They pocked her with cigarette ends and with burnt corks
And rolled on the tavern floor in raucous laughter
She did not speak, since speech was unknown to her
Her eyes were the colour of far away love
Her arms were matching topazes
Her lips moved soundlessly in coral light
And ultimately she left by that door
Hardly had she entered the river than she was cleansed
Gleaming once more like a white stone in the rain
And without a backward look, she swam once more
Swam towards nothingness, swam to her dawn.