Don’t be sad
Don’t be sad that he’s not here.
Let’s find the diary and sit outside
in the shade beneath the apple tree.
Imagine, instead of turning the page
from left to right, or right to left,
that all the days were open to see
and we could go to any day we chose,
and be with him again,
together, as we used to be –
or he could join us here, today,
telling the stories you liked him to tell,
in the dappled shade, beneath his tree.
Let’s find the diary and sit outside
in the shade beneath the apple tree.
Imagine, instead of turning the page
from left to right, or right to left,
that all the days were open to see
and we could go to any day we chose,
and be with him again,
together, as we used to be –
or he could join us here, today,
telling the stories you liked him to tell,
in the dappled shade, beneath his tree.
This poem is copyright (©) Phil Vernon 2026
About the Writer
Phil Vernon
Phil Vernon lives in Kent, UK. He retired in 2024 after four decades in international humanitarian and peacebuilding work. His version of the mediaeval hymn Stabat Mater with music by Nicola Burnett Smith has been performed internationally. His third poetry collection is Guerrilla Country (Flight of the Dragonfly Press, 2024). He was one of three poets featured in Tree Poets: Rivers of Stone (Hedgehog Poetry Press, 2025). He was a 2022 Hawthornden Fellow. www.philvernon.net
