If you travel roads near where I live before 8am, you’ll encounter a blonde vision. The colour of her hair through the winter grey lifts the morning; the silhouette of her good posture etches her figure as she gets closer. Her partner walks beside her pushing his bike, a fine-looking young man.
We’ve swapped “good mornings” from my bicycle as we passed these last ten months. They’ve intrigued me as a couple during the lockdowns.
Last week, out of final curiosity, I stopped the lad on his way home and introduced myself. He told me a little, enough that polite conversation with a stranger allows. They walk to the care centre for the start of his partner’s shift. Then he cycles back before heading for work. How lovely is that, every morning?
A few days later I met them and we talked some more. Jade and Cameron, for it was they, posed for a photo on a wintry cold day and they became the inspiration for the poem below, though it had been in gestation for a year really.
That’s the story and as Valentine’s Day is nearly here, I thought I’d share it with you: two young people, clearly devoted to each other, who happen to brighten my day.
Every Valentine’s Day I encourage readers to try their hand at a few lines of poetry. If you’re lucky to have a loved one in your life, go for it. If not, take pleasure in the happiness of others. You can always dream up the background. Isn’t that what poets should do? Here’s my poem for Jade and Cameron:
Out of the Morning Haze
Grey mist on grey mornings
along a country wintry road.
I stoop over reluctant gears
teasing the Badbury hill
and the potholes threaten me,
readying for the kill.
But look up I must
as you come into view,
two young lovers
unwrapping the mist
and corralling the quiet
as if someone said: Whisht!
We offer our smiles –
greetings that gladden the day.
The road’s now less challenging,
my gears click aligned.
Your story’s unknown to me,
but no matter, you uplifted mine.
First published in Swindon Link