Candlemass, the day
of Mary, the ideal woman
and mother, a sign
for those who then marry
and celebrate their happiness

The evening and morning
are a day together
uncovered, without shame
and without sacrifice that diminishes
their sense of being great

and the evenings and mornings
are a life together
the children grow up
and mark in the year
the days of their parents

with attention, as
a daily effort to be
each other's ideal
attention, the secret
of every relationship