and buses taxis subways trams for how long how far conversations so much so many who and what and love and life and yes again name place date pen grass flesh the deep of night is crept upon our talk and what we had to say the wind will keep until our tongues can thrust up through the stalk and stay the light; meanwhile let silence sleep between us remembering what we were before our eyes were covered by the dark lovers who saw beauty in each other and from the clay drew forth an hour's spark that hour can not die, though we must lie with stiffened arms about an earth which turned about us once to prove how much of sky there is in love's embrace; our kisses burned the millioned lightyeared stars that now must roam the space of all eternity till dust can rise on flaming wings to plume the dome with fires kindled by our mortal lust what triumphs we have known within the mesh of failure, time can not scrape from our bones; out of the pregnant dreams of our grass flesh a fertile spring will issue from the stones and flower like our songs in crimson mirth; each hidden sense that death but borrows here to bring about its own more perfect birth with quickened breath will help new life appear the now and here the sunlit trees along the quiet street enclose the afternoon on either side their shadows dark and still the dozing heat and there is no morning or night to hide it might be anywhere the now and here when the heart is simple and forgets the brain in france on a river or a hill in spain when life was peaceful and there was no fear the reminiscent chord the piano strikes returns us again to the slow learned ease of oars on a boat and the long road hikes the faces and voices like melodies then old folks gladdened the spry basque danses as student groups mingled to learn quaint ways and families gathered for shore holidays with poppies in the sun and vins des provences in the city of the mind thoughts like these graze quietly in distant valleys as though time's gaps lay between a range of sunlit afternoons that never change swallows return o spring thaw out my winter's chill so cold I might be buried still beneath the snow long years I lay as one whose night strong arms had banished from the light to mute my song now wake me from oblivion bow down and lift me to the sun like earth to plow prepare for me some green retreat enough for summer to complete its ecstasy let autumn shake its leaves at me set laughter whirling from each tree and I forget then should my winter come at last when darkened shadows overcast the fields of men I'll gladly say goodbye and go while memories warm me with their glow across the stile for every year my dust shall rise o'er mud and rust to welcome skies where swallows soar reply to critics