Гaлирa Aнaтoльeвнa Никoнoвa

Она будет жить вечно в моем сердце и в моих мыслях

She will live forever in my heart and in my thoughts.

Poems written by John Pocock published singly on the US website

https://allpoetry.com/

Galina: My Russian Princess

Galina my little Russian Princess

You have brought me such happiness
I wish we were not so far apart
But you are with me here in my heart
Long are the days, lonely the nights
When we are together talking via Skype
Your love and patience shines like a light
Assuring me, telling me everything is alright
My dream is to have you as my wife
For I will love you throughout my life
My love for you is deep,strong and true
And no one will love you as much as I do
© John Pocock 2011
The city of Saint-Petersburg

The historical city of Saint-Petersburg

The capital of the North
In spring, summer and autumn
The tourists they will come
They will look in awe at the palace at Peterhoff
Admire The Winter Palace, The cathedral of St. Isaac
And the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood
Be fascinated by history in the hermitage Museum
Take boat cruises on the Neva River
Walk along Nevsky Prospekt, also through the Palace Square
Wander in the Summer Garden or other famous parks
Enjoy the beauty of the Mikhailovsky and Aleksandrovskiy Gardens
Dine in one of the many interesting and diverse restaurants..
Listen to the operas or watch the ballets at the Mikhailovsky Theatre
How many will know the cities former name of Leningrad?
And the story of the siege,
Foreign writers and historians write of the Great Patriotic War,
The story of the battle for Stalingrad is very often told
If you should visit Saint-Petersburg this year
While admiring the city’s beauty and history
Please remember its earlier name and another part of the war,
The 900 day siege of Leningrad
And how the people suffered there
© John Pocock 2016
 Early morning stroll

It was 4 am the sun had risen, we could not sleep,

Due to the “White Nights” the nights are to light
Галочка decides we should go for a walk.
Along Begovia we did stroll.
Into 300 Park we continue on,
Into Yakhtennaya and across the bridge
We looked onto the Gulf of Finland so calm and serene
Across at the cruise liners docked at Morskoy Vokzal 3 & 4
Into Futbolinaya Alley pass Gazprom Arena
The home of the Zenit St Petersburg Football team
We continued into The Great Victory Park,
At Lebyazhhiy Prud we stopped for a rest
Watch ducks swimming and the swans protecting their nest
A red squirrel scampers among the tree and grass
Completely ignoring us as we pass
At Kresoskiy Ostrov Metro Station we arrived
The time was now half past five
We had to wait for the first train at five forty eight
Just over four kilometres we had meandered.
At Staraya Derevnaya Metro Station we did alight
Had coffee at a cafe that is open all night
We decided to catch a tram back home
That was the end of our morning roam
© John Pocock 2018
 City and Country

We have lived in Almaty, London, Saint Petersburg,

The cities have given and shown us much,
Restaurants, cinemas, theatres,
Art galleries Museums, palaces, gardens and parks,
We have seen, heard and admired many things
And sometimes we think of the English countryside,
We could see the world of nature
observe the stars at night
Now we cannot see the stars because of city lights
There are no hooting owls in the dark
No swallows sitting on the wires
Skylarks hovering over fields
The Red Kite flying high,
Woodpeckers banging on the trees
No cuckoo sound
No buzzing bees
No forest walks.
No poppy fields.
But we are happily reminiscing
To think and talk of so many things
We are content with what we have and share.
Our memories, our love and happiness
But it was you Галочка with your love and care
that made life so special everywhere

© John Pocock
Memories

MEMORIES
Галочка we are now in the winter of our lives.
Time has quickly slipped away
And I think of our lives together,
The moments that we enjoyed and treasure
What we have done and what we have seen
Our time in Kazakhstan that gave us so much pleasure
We admired the mountains of Almaty,
Our walks in those mountains, especially in the snow,
How we collected fresh water from the mountain stream
The times we were lived in England in a little village there
Our walks in the fairground very late at night
The magic and beauty of those nights we couldn’t divide
We stared at the heavens with awe and admiration
We tried to define and call many stars and constellations.
We made some, Perseus, Cygnus, Orion the Big Dipper.and others
Now we are in Russia, the city of Saint-Petersburg
There are no mountains, the stars we cannot see
But we still enjoy our nightly walks.
The 300 Anniversary Park its peace and tranquility
Although we have done and seen many things
enjoyed so many experiences and marvellous views
And now we cannot travel, can only think and dream
We can still enjoy our greatest treasure
A marvel and treasure the world could never give
It’s you Галочка and I being together

© John Pocock
Last words and memories

Last words and memories

Last words and memories

Galina, I miss your smile your happy face,

Your love and warm embrace
I was part of you and you were part me,
We were chosen by God to be together you believed,
You were the light of my life, my ray of sunshine,
Then came the day you received your diagnosis.
It is a cancer of the lung the doctor said
With the latest target drugs, you could go on for years
The doctors confidently enthused
You were always filled with optimism
Continued planning with enthusiasm
Then your condition deteriorated
And all our plans were not to be,
The day before my birthday
You were taken from me,
I love you were were my last words to you
Though you found it hard to breath
You struggled to reply
I love you, thank you very much,
The last thing I did for you
Was to dress you before the ambulance came
to the hospice, you were taken
I never knew I wouldn't see you again

Hollow words I am now told

Hold on, be strong,
Look to the future, life goes on
For who? not for me
Life is empty and holds no purpose
The days are long and hold no joy,
At nights I remember happy years
.Last words and memories are all that I have

© John Pocock 2021

 A walk in 300 Park

In 300 Anniversary Park, I now walk alone

I think of the many happy walks here
Especially now it's Autumn
your favorite season of the year
These feelings of sadness I try to overcome
Since you’ve been gone my life has fallen apart
You will always live and be within my heart
I remember the words that you wrote
When I leave this life, you're not to be sad,
I will always love and care for you,
I will always be there for you and with you.
I think of these words as I walk through the park
© John Pocock 2021

Saint-Petersburg, Russia
jp.cet@outlook.com