i carry this enigmatic picture of you
and the smile that ignited my heart
on musical french salad mornings
when love and food were such a mix
as no artist can ever truly capture

the wonder of it all
  is that i stand tall
after my bitter fall

the wonder of it all
is how life still calls
and how it enthralls
me still, in the throes
of an endless quest
to quench my thirst
and be still in it all

the wonder of it all
is the call of a dove
from nature's trove
of effortless wonders
that science can't replicate
and we never can fabricate

the wonder of it all is what we learn at last
that none of us can withstand what must be
that we've to buzz and burn our energy like a bee
before the sweetness of ages can come again
in that beautiful hallelujah moment of fulfillment

when there's nothing more to say
you listen for the resigned sigh
watch for the slump in the shoulder
and search the face for a sign, any sign

when there's nothing else to say you begin to pack
and hope against hope there might be a relenting
though you know it's all cast in stone here and now
it's been a long time coming and you've always known

when everything's been done and the crack's too wide to close
the words of the sages dance before your weepy eyes
wantonly jeering at your foolish heart that would be moved
by so macabre a dance of dead hopes and twitching dreams

when you've had your last glance of one once so dear
you grit your teeth, carry your rucksack and take the open road
to a place that's always been your unspoken destination
in truth arrival is a time for fallacies and myths to dissipate