When I pause and clear the cluttered
images; when the noise passes away;
I see through it all,
and the numinous you
shines through, a golden lite
shimmers around your being.
I fell in love with that sparkle,
and still, it shines through—
when the clutter and noise are gone.
Your joy catches me, and I
gasp. It’s just a few moments…
Brief. Each time it comes,
the months and years between
seem well worth it.
Does the male cardinal’s
heart leap this way
each time the she bird returns?
What about the dog?
Or for that matter
what can I know of any other man?
Ah well. It’s this way with me.
And you. Two lovers, to be sure,
in an ancient dance—one that
holds for too long our backs
to each other, where the brief
moments of paradise, our sweet
embrace, are too far and in between.
Each moment seems like forever.
Each swoop in the dance
nothing but a dip in the pond of love.
Anthony Signorelli