"Sonnets From a Conversation With a Friend IV"


You merely smiled when I said this till you
Saw my eyes and the gnawing fear in them
And knew that I was serious. Then calm
And slow you reached across the table to
Take my hand in yours and held it just so
Between both your own, and said, This may seem
To simple to be of much use, and no gleam
Of magic light renders it perfect to
Cure in an instant, but just an honest
Caring acceptance, from one, to another
Who is suffering, is a priceless, ancient
Balm.            And so we sat quiet together, for
An hour, hand in hand, in the silence,
Sharing a gift of life, touching each other.