Thursday, September 02, 2004

No one promised you anything

You have to remember that
as you hold her hand
as you kiss her lips
as you walk down the aisle
as you fall together.
No one said it was forever.
No one promised that.

Drink deep her lips, feed upon them.
Warm yourself in the fire of her body.
Cling to what is there now and give no
thought to the emptiness that might be
consume your love tomorrow -- might for
doctors are wrong sometimes.

But if that unholy day comes
unthought will be how you survive.
It will be how you get up the day after.
You will not make it if you let
yourself think of what is not there.

Time, now your enemy, will be
your friend again in that dark time.
And if we do not complain to God
about our joys, how shallow would
we be to curse our sorrows?

All I can tell you now is that she
loves you and you love her. In this
world of empty           that feeds upon our joy,
you have a brief time to touch
love's infinite grace. Take her hand.

© 2004. All rights reserved.

4 comments:

Gloria Williams said...

This poem is so sad, but so full of wisdom. "Love's infinite grace"-I've been blessed to feel that very grace in my life more than once. I hope you're not sad, but I know you have wisdom. I appreciate your kind and caring emails more than I can express. Thank you for being my friend. You're what I want to be when I grow up as Christian. :)

SBB said...

Shucks, you'll turn my head with talk like that! :) Glad to see your comment.

Anonymous said...

Good poem, Tech. I like that white space after "empty." Effective and moving. BUT STOP MAKING ME THINK!!! MY BRAIN'S NOT MEANT FOR THIS SPEED!!! :)
-Susan

Trixie said...

I have mulled this one over for three days, coming back to it at least two or three times a day, trying to discern the feeling it uncovers. At first I thought it was "lonely" but that's not it. I think now I have settled on "lonesome" -- missing what one once had. But then I realize it's an even deeper layer, longing for that profoundly missing puzzle piece I've not ever experienced, but know to be vital. I suppose there is not a single word that describes that. But the essence of it is in your poem.