And shall I say
my hand is warm
& knows yours well,
has touched yours
many ways in the
air of afternoons?
And shall I say
that I have walked
on snow with you
by rivers
& laughed to hear
a robin’s song?
And shall I say
that I have held you
under moonlit trees
& kissed your mouth
a thousand times
like some bold lover?
And shall I say to you
that I have watched
for your return
on forgotten roads
of time that defy
all memory of you?
And shall I say
at last, that I have
loved you, girl?
When you were here
all songs seemed sweet
& seasons knew no ending.
…………………………………………
A poem from warmer, more generous times.