Winter Benediction

 In the trackless meadow of summer,
In summer there was always dancing,
Careless dancing where lilies bloomed,
Blooming in artless simplicity.

Lest we stumble at the rhythm,
We danced looking only downward,
Our faces hidden in summer light
That faded imperceptibly to dusk.

The dance has ended, and your form
Is lost in swirling incoherency.
Your face is stolen by the failing light,
And memory disperses in obscurity.

At last your shadow fades away,
Attenuated in the frigid air
Of winter’s inexorability.
I wish I’d had the grace to stumble.

The storm is scattering the light;
We will not escape this tyranny.
But I will give you this at parting:
A benediction whispered on the air.

2017