on describing a circle without hands in the year of the dandelion by James Bell

on describing a circle without hands in the year of the dandelion by James Bell

in the year of the dandelion where

there are violets in abundance too

only the spores of the dandelion float

to start a new generation in the year to come

my feet are on the ground

they are always on the ground

except when I lay flat

then they are not on the ground

today my feet are grounded

I can feel them sink lower

beneath the surface even though

this is imaginary and self induced

it is in order to achieve some

kind of balance to recognise

the difference between bones

and tissue - move ever more slowly -

every action must be deliberate

to maintain that sense of control

without effort or of strain -

my feet are still on the ground

I must turn only from the waist

describe a circle where less

is more - less an aim for

more to be achieved - a time

where a disconnect is not possible -

the ground is still concrete slabs

and the sun still glimmers beyond

the wisteria and reality is still

a reality where my feet on the ground

remain on the ground a little apart

anchored below the surface -

my eyes are closed and then I open them

again to feel the difference -

sun is beyond the waves - patterns

in abstracts of stone where shadow

dissolves - my feet stay on the ground

in the year of the dandelion where

there are violets in abundance too -

only the spores of the dandelion float

to start a new generation in the year to come

James Bell - lives in Brittany where he contributes photography and non-fiction to an English language journal. Two poetry collections have appeared from tall-lighthouse, the just vanished place and fishing for beginners. His work has also appeared this year with Shearsman, Tears In The Fence and The Journal and the Poetry Kit anthology Flowers in the Machine (poems about science).