Lost and Found

One fake fur jumper, all rainbow delight

in my maid’s wardrobe in Paris, lost

the night I left; jumpers, clothes, books,

friends, a way of life, a future-bereft.

All that I have lost is near at hand,

across the wide river, far inland.

Found a home in a terraced Square,

abandoned houses, serendipity, shabby nooks in the busy city:

still, we are roosting there.

Lost and orphaned, sad farewells;

walked off this earth with reluctant tread:

listen for their whisper in sandy seashells,

plucked by children from the soft sea bed.

All that I have lost is near at hand,

across the wide river, far inland.

Fond boyfriend, girlfriend, companion, lover,

husband, friend, we stepped together

holding fast, one to another,

each time bound forever.

Near at hand, the lost is found forever.