And then you
Said you’ve never
Had romance yet
Loved love is
In essence romance
It’s first flight
For a hatchling
And that initial
Skidded landing on
Marshy lake it’s
That one taste
Of snow and
Your first bitter
Lick of lemon
Romance is eyes
And smiles and
Chagrin caught staring
It’s that first
Tentative touch and
Oh yes that
First cautious kiss
This is romance
And to you
My dear boy
Poetry romance lives
There is but
One thing not
Tied to age
But makes everything
Else matter makes
Everything breathe and
Grow and end
It lives beyond
And beyond us
It’s something that
We all have
And rightly give
It is love
I awoke still
Sleepy absent dreams
Like the wolf
Missing the moon
Howling reduced to
Whimpers not himself
Calm like fresh
Snow newly fallen
Lest wind driven
And the sun
Breaking eastern skies
Quietly and tenderly
Vanished of clouds
Simply these for
My heart is
Full knowing that
You occupy your
Space there like
Your window of
My advent calendar
What if we
Could ever only
Love one other
Would you keep
It for yourself
I don’t think
That we’re stingy
With love we
See it as
A ghost floating
There just out
Of reach when
Really it’s a
Snowball to be
Lobbed or a
Balloon to float
Free bringing glee
To everyone that
Sees it soaring
And then finally
We were at
Long last face
To face studying
Eyes and smiles
Forearms and hands
Fingertips dancing along
Veins on hand
Or fine wrinkles
Near eyes inching
Closer still closer
Feeling each others
Breathy lipped humidity
When at once
They touched closed
Then open finally
Breathing life into
The other silently
For the first
Time us lifeguards
HARLAN DIDRICKSON 