Though I am bold and young at heart,
Tempered by the varied winds,
I must not forget
What I gleaned from your eyes
As you peered into mine
I saw you.
The taste of lime and dim light
Fetter as I took you away from the crowd
From strangers to lovers,
We came and went,
Our fondness disheveled covers
Subtext, riddles through course encounters
I lay alone those nights and reminisced
The touch I sought was yours
Periodic formal dinners
Gave way to more late nights as
Friends followed the informal
And soon, no secret
I see our friends come and go,
But we, we never leave.
On crowded sunlit beaches
With the rest
We step on rocky sand
I take you for granted
Juggling careers,
Dreams we dreamt since we were kids
It all falls short of machinations
But that which stays had no division
Rarely speaking
Those words which grow ill with repetition
As we grow together in flore
Now dim lights keep the flowers by your bedside table
Subtle patter of branches against a doctor’s window
Is all I hear against the swell of loss
I see me old, but still young at heart,
Weakened by the varied winds,
And I never forgot
What I gleaned from your eyes
As you peered into mine
What I know is I’d love you
Worthily through life
And, as life leaves, preserve it
I see it in your eyes
Mark Vandergon 2012