And my heart leapt when he saw you
And yet he faltered as he flew
Seeing the end in all things, loneliness
and the despair he well knew

Leaf strewn steps' descent into darkness
Banks of fog churning the depths
half-caught of floodlight in the park

Rolling towards me
cold like you
But advancing

Seeking my company, such as it is

If there could be an honest moment between us

The sun  would lose its orbit
The moon crash into the sea  

But the foam from the storm would blow ashore
Shrouding everything in white brilliance

This is an estate of loss.
Every new thing entered in its ledger,
Measured against and lined up

        All these faces remind of yours
before


          I know you're OK now.        
          I know it was long ago
          I know you don't think of it anymore and I'm glad

But it's a spectre I see everyday in the palms of my hands

It's taken me some time to be happy for you
To curdle you from me  

But now it's done I'm happy for me too

               Just so you know I'm still the same; I offer you a sign

My heart degenerates into a dark storm
Nought left of that calm warm horizon or your bright sun
No up, no down nor the silence of form        
Unbound savagery bleeds from my skin

Would that I could
gather space about me
engender love from emptiness  
And attain your broad shape out from the darkness

A storm subsides
And lightning ceases to flash

The shuffling shoulders disappear
And the sweaty hides dry

The darkling eyes close
And the panting breath deepens

The groan and come sink into silence
And I'm stripped of pride and shame

Naked, ***** and untouched
No word reaches me

Eyes ablaze
Body carved in marble
                                                        
But still
From somewhere
A fragment of you remains  

Frankincense in the night