A Different Planet - Chris Hudson

It seemed no sin to believe in magic
Or to be living a myth
A symbiosis between man and nature
All barriers dropped, no inside no outside
Gathered around the fire, flames
Licking into the inky blackness and shades
And livid colours splashed our faces
We felt warmth, reaching out our hands
Smile spread from face to face, person to person
A smile born from the wisdom
That fire shuts out the night.
In the cities and towns, dull shadows walk the streets
A ghoulish army to confront and meet
A legion of fears to test my verve
Is wraithlike existence what they really deserve?
In the country, autumn displays her dapperness
Wind howls, rain strafes,
The colours glow in a hollow echo
Light diffuse, night close
Journeys bind and tighten in knots
Sea cold, sky bland,
Yet there is movement here between sea and land.
The Christian and the Pagan are at opposite ends of the earth
Yet they meet and mingle, on this, our sacred turf.
They say ignorance is bliss; then am I to surmise
That the blind and happier than those left behind?
Ignorance of the law is no defence
Yet panderers and flatterers set the pretence.

Chris Hudson