Meager are my words
to entice your ardor
but safe are these arms
open to you in harbor.
For passion soon
spends its wily self
and wrecks my heart’s
most fragile health.
So I love you
in those subtle ways
that promise not only nights
but all my days.
Warmth radiates
everlasting
If you choose
a mild sun
for the basking.
An embrace would meld us
Thaw us and bind us
Rough edges would melt and seam together
Forever, we would be unable
To be apart
Forever, we would be unable
To find sole solace
So our frail hearts
Love with caution
So we, who shake
Love in fear
The painted bird
Forever in mid-flight
On the wall scroll
A nightwalk on stars
Is the journey of a dream
Where I am at the start, middle, and end
All at the same time
RED GLADIOLA 