Life & Times

Under a canopy
of rusting trees, that sway
to an autumnal melody,
two lovers will meet,
dreams of gold just in the grasp
of desperate, needing fingers.

Months pass,
the canopy has bleached, legalised.
Tendrils of lace follow a suited beauty.
Marital bliss beckons,
murmured endearments entwine two souls,
dreams of joy now carried in jewelery.

Twilight stretches
across a dancing sapphire giant,
the sun reluctant to leave paradise.
A tender caress,
passion blossoms as a sign of affection,
lovers showered in pure happiness.

A silent scream,
impatience hangs heavy in the room,
clinical white, echoing cries of joy and pain.
A parcel of wonder,
the creation comes alive in their hands.
Their purpose in life arrives.

Decades, now.
Fledglings puff tiny chests,
stumbling from their past.
Romance hesitates,
hiding among the deepening wrinkles
and glassy, wise eyes.

The inevitable arrives,
draining colour from the vibrant world.
The naked trees shiver in the wind.
A frail rose, weeping petals,
lays at his eternal sanctuary,
the gloved hands trembling, alone.

Remembrance.
The widow feels the electric caresses
and the scent of forests in autumn,
The band of gold
on her finger shines brighter than ever,
she was never asked to cry.