dear john, dear lennon.

Dear John, Dear Lennon
(after "Dear John, Dear Coltrane")

Bombs rain
in Liverpool puddles,
as serif font punctuates
your John "Jack"
and Churchill namesakes.
With a guitar
that wouldn't split,
even if Alf had gone AWOL
and Julia drifted,
you didn't notice;
and getting better meant
it can't get no worse.
The cavern of the Quarry Men
reign echoed with that sweet accent
that cheated Cynthia years later -
love is all you need.

The strike of piano keys
breathe studded life
into Jude's Lucy -
though you lived in sin,
lost weekends and something
greater than Jesus,
pandemonium that made you
a saint - love, love, love,
love is all you need.

Peace pulsing
through the blood
spilled on city sidewalks,
in that ironic violence
that pressed questions
of what we'd miss,
and spring fields
of strawberries
in Central Park, a promise;
love, love is all you need.