My love went a-walking
Left her paintings on the walls
Left her song book and silent keys
And came not home again

My love went a-walking
Left the fountain and the fuchsia
Left the goldfinch and cardinal
And came not home again

My love went a-walking
Left her friends and her neighbours
Left her children and husband dear
And came not home again

My love went a-walking
She did not know to say goodbye
She did not know to say goodbye
And came not home again

My love went a-walking
From the stage as footlights dimmed
From the stage as footlights dimmed
And came not home again.

Sky-Blue

The blue of sunlit summer sky
Your eyes have purloined
And in return they wander
The heavens for the rainbow
After the teasing rain,
For the gallivant vestal moon,
For the bravura sinking of the sun.

The Iceboat

The iceboat was harmless in my backyard,
A long plank with a rear skate rudder,
A crossbeam fitted both ends with skates,
A mast of oak for a triangle of sail.

But guide that boat to Charlottetown Harbour:
For thrilling speed there is no other.
Faster than steam train or touring car
And close to the ice it feels like flying.

Physics is master in hard-water sailing:
Trim the sail for an ‘apparent wind’
That speeds the boat on mirror-smooth ice
Six times faster than the wind that blows.

Oh, you lie flat and hold the rudder
And tease the boat to ride two skates
At forty-five degrees and so reduce drag,
Accelerate and hang on for dear life.

It was not always smooth sailing:
The ice could be bumpy or fissured
In places; the boat might go soaring
And land hard; it had no springs

A murder of crows

A murder of crows happened in Leaside:
They single filed the telephone wires
And commandeered the trees,
Flapping, swerving, changing places;
Each look alike strutted
And had his say with others.

Here was merriment to mock the world.
An old man threw back his head in laughter;
He was a boy again.
At the front door a woman clapped her hands
To drive away the raucous intruders.

Muse

Early in the morning
I saw the half moon high
In the southern sky
And I thought of you.

Over my left shoulder
I saw the sunrays play
In the dazzled day
And I thought of you.

Evening in my garden
Among the flowery shows
I chose the sweet wild rose
And dreamed of you.