As she was young and carefree
at the dawn of men
The lace that draped her body
both godly and profane
For hands to grip, for hand to rip,
someday for his to mend
As he was young and sickened
at the dawn of life
He promised, warm and shaken,
sitting by her side
To stay if she would have him
To touch her if she liked
Under shadows of many kinds
the lonely lovers lay
On grasses green, on asphalt overgrown with weeds
a thin layer of sand
The distant planets in his mind
all gather for the dawn of time
The galaxies in waiting
and their mysterious design
As they were young and ready
for the rumble of the land
Her skin remembered nothing
but the kindness of his hands
March 2019