you draw the curtains
with the authority of parting a sea
and the light obeys you
that grey wool in my eyes
i blink clear with your largesse
of toast and muddy marmalade
brought in like a skull on a platter
set down with watchmaker hands
on the newest stitched cloth
snipped to exactness
by your relentless industry
such precision i assume you divine each rising
and memorise the combination to each vault of us
yet you must be hoping
what belief you still have in me
isn’t seduced by the wilderness i espouse
doesn’t flounder in an oddly comfortable dark
or do you give in and admit
this grown man’s no more the purse-snatching
delinquent you’re bent on changing
moving violator of conscience that quietens yours?
re-arrange the furniture as you will
three gilt chairs where the guilt bed lies
a hand-in-hand sunset in place of
my Francis Bacon portrait
a different view will give pause
but not revelations of certainty over doubt
what’s true is somewhere in the guesswork
between our door and window
face it
we are in the same room
johnpoetflanagan 
Some stunning metaphors, John, in what, for me, is a wonderful exploration of a relationship grown old in its newness or refreshed in its oldness. A fine piece!
Thank you, Chris, for the praise
and thank you very much for your keen sense
my best always
john
I’m not getting a happiness feeling here. Thanks for sharing it; definitely gave me pause this morning. Beautiful piece.
Thank you, Laura
for reading and responding
Best Wishes
john
My pleasure. Thank you!
you draw the curtains
with the authority of parting a sea
and the light obeys you
Great opening lines!
Thank you, Bruce
best always
john
Amazing metaphors and language; wonderful poem!
Thank You so much
all the best
john
Welcome back dear Poet. Your creativity is at its most searingly personal – ‘oddly comfortable dark’. I read and feel I am somehow intruding on a dialogue in which one isn’t meant to eavesdrop. I want you to find balance, neither to be controlled nor a prisoner of conscience, to be in ‘the same room’. Happy.
Dear Angela
Ever warm and generous – Thank You.
lots of love
john
Brother John – Wonderful imagery and metaphors. I get the feeling that this is an internal dialogue between the rational and the wild (natural) side of a personality.
such precision i assume you divine each rising
and memorise the combination to each vault of us
Both are contained in us as indicated by the concluding lines:
what’s true is somewhere in the guesswork
between our door and window
face it
we are in the same room
Wonderful, thought provoking poem.
Brother David
You’re as sharp as ten new razorblades;
yes, a variation on the monodialogue
Much love to You and Diane
Your Brother
john
So many levels of relationship with self and with the other. Beautiful imagery.
Thank You, Myra
for all the support and the interest
i hope you’re doing well
much love
john
Where do I start with this relationship turned inside out? Hope springs eternal. Bravo, John.
blessings ~ maxi
Maxi
Kind and warm as always – thank You
i hope you’re feeling much better
and enjoying life
much love
john
The moment when the two Johns or whoever analyze the younger and the current one. I like it when your pen dances metaphorically it stirs what little gray matter I have hanging on at my age. The refreshing lines perfectly wonderful descriptors, “you draw the curtains with the
authority of parting a sea and the light obeys you”. How perfectly delightful to my crusty old eyes John. Thank you for what could be insightful or purely metaphorical. Ever your friend, Jon Michael . PS: when a pen is about to stir beautiful lines in Singapore, it is yours.
Such a fine and supportive commentary, Jon My Friend.
Thank You for great kindness and love.
Ever Your Friend
john
John, your beautiful poem made me think about fates and virtues. Some of my virtues have changed in the course of life. What would my fate be like if they haven’t? Different lives that never happened – they are still in me, in the same room.
Thank you, and welcome back!
Inese
So kind and generous!
Inese,
Thank you for a fine response
i really like.
always
john
Hmmmm. Sometimes in my struggle to become more….it feels like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic! 🙂
PS this is beautifully crafted and unnerving…….worthy of meditation. thanks.
Eileen
Thank you for your thoughtful response to a poem
i struggled with to write.
Bless You!
john