Wooden Statue, Auxerre: Photograph

Timeworn statue decorating the facade of a house in Auxerre, France.

So Far Have I Travelled: Poem

So Far Have I Travelled

So far have I travelled, from one shore to another.
I saw the sunset and moonrise from various city roofs;
Dusty tracks, cobbled stones and also
The sound of horses' clattering hoofs.

So far have I travelled and heard the lilt
Of speech's cadence;
When sleep touched my eyelids I lost myself
In destiny's strange dance.

So far have I travelled and for so long;
So long the road, so deep the reflection:
There is a moral as ever to be found
Life was never perfection.

Copyright: Rani Turton

Potterie: Photograph

Pottery for sale in a French market.

Pont Alexandre; Paris

Statue on the Pont Alexandre III, Paris.

Lessons I Never Learned: Poem

LESSONS I NEVER LEARNED


Backbencher in grief schooling;
Never able to rationalize my loss;
Questioning pain as though life was
Just another dice's toss.
Whenever I thought of death
Or of people going away;
My breath stuck in my throat
And grief walked beside me that day.

I never learned the right way or the wrong way
Towards and away from loss;
I never thought it could be so hard:
I guess my learning was full of flaws.

Copyright: Rani Turton

Without You: Poem

WITHOUT YOU


Without you the waters lie still; the reflections of silent trees
Remain as though transfixed but not tranfigured
Green shrubs and leaves remain sombre; clouds peer
And wonder at the stillness.
It might even rain. Why doesn’t the rain
Fall now and be done with it’s will?

Without you feelings remain in my heart
Unable to be expressed. Freedom and finery
Are long behind. Senses and sense are nonsense.
When will the cells in my body awake?
When will the dawn come and awakening light
Awaken my brain?

Let me wait for another day yet again.


Copyright: Rani Turton

Spider: Street Art, Paris

Cute spider on a street wall in Paris poised naturally, ready to spin it's web.

THERAPHOSA: HARD AND METAL ROCK GROUP

I happened to see this fabulous young group performing on Music Day (held the 21st June in France).  It was worth it to see their guitar dexterity and vocals, tinging on the heavy metal sound. The public was entranced for many songs. A real crowd puller, this group can go very very far. For those  interested in French rock or metal groups singing in English in France look up Theraphosa!

http://www.myspace.com/theraphosamusic

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Theraphosa/194472491306

(Permission asked and gotten for this writeup).

Everyday, While We May

Everyday, While We May

To watch the trailing rose on stone walls
Dew on flowers, a resting bird on tree
To listen to the wind, feel the rain,
Everyday, while we may

The sun with it's golden beams
Warms the flesh yet alive
Stars that glisten and shine
Bread, that the soul may dine;
While we may.

While we may, blood and bone
Skin, touch, tears and pain;
Remind us that each and every cell
Lives, and then hears the knell.

Copyright: Rani Turton

Waiting, Listening, Thinking: Poem

Waiting, Listening, Thinking

Waiting day by day
In the only possible way
The only plausible path
Lies straight, like an arrow
However rocky and narrow.

Oft in sundry guise
I dreamt of sunny skies;
Reflecting on life and its turns;
But to my great surprise
One learns and learns and learns.

Breathe the air, smell the wind;
The earth has a heart and a mind;
All that remains in the end
Is the love that we had to spend;
All that remains when our lives are done
Is the earth, the sky, the stars and the sun.

Copyright: Rani Turton