Tender is the Night

I kept the stone letters in my pockets
and under the pillow
where I dreamt of the seas we were sailing
and the gardens of spring
My breath was weighted with the taste of your leaving
a taste of absent fruit

You did not come
for such a long time
I became old and blossoms turned to dust
Ashen inscriptions upon each new snow
Songs of ancient fire flowers, unbelievable to the heart

Perhaps like the salmon you were journeying upstream
and the water bent your will
and your will reshaped the river
I listened in my nightless place but heard only the clouds with their rumours
and the dogs
with their brave fear

I cried over so many moons
each one a pearl of sadness
each one a tender beauty
each one a wish
and watched with a darkened heart as each jewel fell

The stone letters are smooth for your soul
cracked for your pain
Blue stone
of star and sea