On this pilgrimage
through the desert of my mind
I travel alone—
candles at the inn window
promise food, shelter, and bed.
Warmed by the blankets,
I fall into uneasy sleep,
tossing about,
dreaming we're still together,
pressing my lips against yours.
Separated
by circumstances of life
your gentle touch missed—
the brightness of your face
remembered, lightens the gloom.
Bluebells and daisies
in the sun-drenched valley—
sensuous fragrances...
I melted like chocolate
in your tender embrace.
I drove past our house
but could not knock on the door—
where has courage fled?
why does a child falter
and fall when he learns to walk?
The stones by the creek
have overgrown with moss.
We used to rest there
dreaming of a bright future...
Remember our first kiss?
A wounded deer lies
where forest and field meet—
see his frightened eyes
not even your whisper
releases me from terror.
A pen swan lost her cob—
Will she find a new mate?
Loneliness and fear,
part of my life without you...
but, in my heart, still with you.
In autumn dawn
a flock of geese in the sky—
the pond solid ice
on a new shore the spring trees
bud and bloom with vigor.
Cherry blossoms
and a mockingbird's trills
raise my spirit,
the lush spring taking me
down its mysterious paths...
