The Emptiness of Your Absence

Oh, the emptiness you leave behind - Love is a noon-bright meadow stripped of its green, Whose birds forget their songs: Or am I tone deaf now? The melodies in Mahler Symphonies are monotone, Only rhythm there suggests that Love is palpable, A pulsing heart whose syncopation loses beat As torrents of spring rain that could augur hope Blur now into a mindless buzz of cheap hi-fi. But let saddest lament, not for one instant stay your heart, Or my selfishness, be hindrance to your dance, For all that I so admire (that was ever holy in your smile), Can grow only in the soil of your imagination. Rather let me be another sun that rises, falls, As Earth's bright star takes joy in serving, Energize the breath of greenest leaves And nourish blooms expressing your desire. Long Tooth February 5, 2017