Love is two pairs of footprints
   Impressed in the sand.
Will you ever walk beside me
   And together go home?

Love is sunlight that makes
   A flower turn its way.
Do you promise always
   To be a light for my soul?

~~~~~~~

I am your enthusiasm
That helps you learn a new thing.
I am your hand mirror
Beholding you on a bright morning.
I am your sandals
That caress your soft soles.
I am your prayer while you doze.
I am your blanket
Keeping you warm at night.
I am your luck that flies by day
To make sure things go right.
I am the djinni in your life
To stay near and keep you –
If only you knew.

~~~~~~~

Love is many, Water is many
And flows aplenty
But Fire is one
And consumes until gone
All but purity.

If to each other we belong
And we’re to stay strong
Then feel the fever
And douse with ether;
Purify the bond.

~~~~~~~

Happy eyes need not the sun
     For they, like yours, have a light of their own
A cutting light the demons shun
     That confesses to a kind, ageless soul.

Brown upon brown, they draw me in;
     I can’t look away nor could I leave
One who burns with a burning passion
     With an innocence I dare not displease

And when I look into your eyes
     My loneliness is burnt to a dry ember.
I know your happiness derives
     From within and they who see remember.

Shine for others, shine for me
     But forget not that they’re mine to own
Mine to write of with jealousy;
     Your eyes alone are worthy of a poem.

~~~~~~~

Along the way
Birds whistle a tune
As if to set a mood
But I know not what to say.

The figure slowly thickens
In the distance;
My heart beats fast –
My gait quickens.

From a dry rut
He approaches
And opens the conversation
One eye shut.

~~~~~~~

LOVE ME

Love me tender, love me strong.
Love me with wine and song
On a hillside all the day long.
Love me with a joke or two
With stories of people you knew.
Love me until night releases you.
Confide in me all that you fear.
Whisper words as you draw near
Words you know I long to hear.
Death, that sting, be accursed!
Love me for what life is worth
And know that I loved you first.

~~~~~~~

PANTOUM #2

Sealed with a kiss –
Our union is a circle;
Love, Laughter, Friendship
In motion centripetal.

Our union is a circle;
That ring of passion
In motion centripetal
Is neverending.

That ring of passion
Given unto us in prayer
Is neverending –
One vow, Two hearts.

Given unto us in prayer:
Love, Laughter, Friendship –
One vow, Two hearts –
Sealed with a kiss.

~~~~~~~

Last night remains a scent
     Remembered at slow length –
Drawn from the air, lingering about –
     A secret kept under my breath.

The union of your soft lips
     Upon mine – warm and precious –
Mixed with your fingertips
     Touching my arms were luxurious.

Your flirting, like your words, stumbled –
     Became nervous on cue.
Your eyes – brown like truffles –
     Were delicious to my view.

Yes, above all else, your eyes
     Are what I remember.
Let me kiss your eyes shut tonight
     So that they might sleep better.

~~~~~~~

My heart is an empty jardiniere
Receptive to flowers and affection.
By your wayward glances, I could swear -
There is a festering attraction
But speak up bravely; be not passive
And may we start a journey called love.

~~~~~~~

Two streams that converge
   And flow inextricably
Are like two lovers
   Meandering about who meet -

Not knowing anything of what
   They were missing before
But now having full sight
   Each of the other -

Who rejoice at the freshet
   And meld and flow as one
Assured of their fate
   And their continual love.

~~~~~~~

Our union is stronger than we -
Measuring twofold -
And moves in the world.
Prithee, therefore -
Take it on with me.

~~~~~~~

You stole me from a castle
My defiant vassal.
We went butterflyback riding
Into wind that sounded like sighing.
They put us down on a hill when
We felt like walking the glen.
We sat by a river of gold
And talked as the river flowed.
I wished for rain and it came
And in its midst, we played.
Where a rainbow met the ground
The beam, we danced around.
Before it could diminish
I gave you a chocolate kiss
And ours is a fairytale romance
That, to this day, still enchants.

~~~~~~~

How they stop us dead
With a look of shame -
Not knowing that what
We have is from God.
Love's mystery,
Who can fully explain?
They would prefer to hate
Without a thought.

~~~~~~~

On wisps of hope alone -
   Love cannot soar
For hope quickly goes -
   Returning at some hour.

It needs a pair of wings
   To up and away
When it seems resigned
   To an uncertain fate.

It needs a fresh wind
   Flowing strong yet soft -
Once and again -
   Bearing love aloft.

It needs a prayer or so
   For when trials arise -
A work of the Holy Ghost
   And faith might suffice.

I'm a beast of the field
   And you - a crane.
Spare me, love, a wing
   So I can meet you halfway.

~~~~~~~

After making love
I lay my head upon your chest
To hear your heartbeat;
You are delicately built
But wonderfully alive.

Your skin is like satin
Draping across my fingers
As a blanket would but better;
Let me lay in your warmth
'Til the evening's end.

~~~~~~~

He has a gift little perceived –
     A mind for temperament and thoughts.
That he is one of privilege
     Is both natural and mysterious.

Such witchcraft to them of fright
     Puts them to good reactions –
Harmless to a passerby –
     Helpful to a set of events.

It was taught by a Master –
     His mind is only existence.
We walk about – caught unawares –
     Then he finishes my sentence

And with the magic he has
     He twists the day as we go.
For that I could kiss his head –
     It impresses me so.

~~~~~~~

Thy being's grace
Is pleasant to behold -
As beautiful as
The jacaranda
When its blooms
On some April day unfold.
Blessed be the one
Who keeps thy aura.

~~~~~~~

A CHANCE MEETING

What made you first look upon me
Makes me joyful in my heart
For you saw something that could be.
What made you first look upon me
Is what the others couldn’t see
And since that moment we haven’t part.
What made you first look upon me?
It makes me joyful in my heart.

It makes me joyful in my heart
Could it have been my eyes as blue
As a clear sky at summer’s start.
What was it that pulled at your heart?
Could it have been my voice as sharp
As a clarinet tuned anew?
It makes me joyful in my heart
Could it have been my eyes so blue.

Could it have been my eyes so blue
That were all you ever needed
Or was it that my heart proved true?
Could it have been my eyes so blue
That my love you chose to pursue?
If not for the kind words I seeded
Might it have been my eyes so blue
That were all you ever needed?

~~~~~~~

MIDNIGHT

Seizuring so as if escaping from fright
You awoke suddenly near about midnight
Then rolled over meeting my body halfway
By instinct, drew nearer and kissed me straight away.
Your cheek, always soft, nestled against mine.
Your muscular hand came to rest upon my thigh.
In my ear, your breath came like wind rushing.
By the touch of your tepid skin, I sensed flushing.
My eyes perused you in the moonlight
Convincing me for a moment that all was right.
You fell again to sleep peacefully it seemed
Perhaps to dream that time a pleasant dream.

~~~~~~~

If you crush my foot
With your worthy sandal
It would be sweet abuse.
Indeed, the smell of your sweat
Wafting would be
As expensive perfume.
Maybe my nose and foot
Can speak with you
And come to a truce.

~~~~~~~

Often conversation carries
Us through the day
For talking about things is
Basic to an alliance

Yet at other times, we survive
A comfortable presence
Where the air is thick with love –
Nothing need be said.

~~~~~~~

The fold lifts, I see him in the mist
Gliding nearer by, I don’t resist.
Let everything be still – I esteem
He’s even better than what I dreamed.
Stars fill my eyes as we meet lips.

It’s a world of two, two in the world.
The rush, the fire of his touch would
Enshroud us but for a tender moment.
Eyes of sincerity confess of want –
So much spoken without a word.

My eyes open to the embroidered curtain
That nullifies the harsh morning sun –
A secret knowledge now in his stead.
I rise up with a smile, though twisted.
Verily – what sweet provocation!

~~~~~~~

You can no more catch the sun
Than I can command the rain
Yet love is an experience
Worthy of anguish for gain.

~~~~~~~

You want to requite my love;
     You already have with a ring
And many years of life
     So this I command you to bring:

A bouquet of chocolate flowers
     Each with a nice, dark button
Comparable to your eyes
     And a fragrance as divine.

Put it together with care –
     Tape it inconspicuously –
Present it when I’m caught unawares
     And you have hours to give me.

Such a bouquet – bright and simple –
     As native as the mourning dove –
Would be a challenge worthwhile
     Your time and your love.

~~~~~~~

If ever we tarry apart a spell
Because circumstance conspired with fate
Remember all our days for your heart's sake;
Remember and wear a little smile.
Keep it as one would a given token
Until in flesh we unite once again.