Five summers ago lived you and I:
we swam beneath the overhang
of weeping willows.
"Love me," wept I,
as the stars chased dust across
an uncaring universe.

That was back when life was gold;
the grapes were sweet, and we plucked them
from the vine to taste the sweetness
of our youth;
the sour
of my love.

Days leaned into sunny days; but
things have changed since then.

Now nights fill the void;
to be strong is to stand alone,
and to remember, I must weep;
for my tears have not dried since those days
and my love will stay,
unquenched,
and now.

Maybe all has not really changed.
You left my world
but your fingerprints will not fade and I
love the way the willows hang,
sleeping in the shade.
And the earth still spins;
the grapes are still sour and sweet;
the grass still grows
and the stars
still will race for
an endless time

until we meet again.