Passion is violent but not durable And once the race has been run What is left but contemplation Vast and fertile Horizons always beckoning A test of true love Loyalty and devotion To a promise that has cooled As does beauty of the flesh Yet the fire of life remains As does inner warmth The love of the heart aches And taking its place Is the love of virtue Enduring strength of the spirit Like a lighthouse across the sea Guiding those who wish to cross To live within its purpose Of a life never consumed with the end But instead with how it is lived Remembering the days when passion set its sails And the winds of loving you cast their spell