Some time ago two friends of mine had a wedding by the sea in a far away land. The leaves were falling on that day, I saw from the photos that appeared on facebook a little later. Although I couldn’t be there, it made me think of this poem that I had written some years before, and which now, seems right, to dedicate to Carla and Stephen.
Fall: the mystery of life retreats
within hardwood; flows deep to the heartwood –
sealed, secure. Grained vitality: token rings
yearly mark this union; the link holds good.
Treasure: life sleeps in the ripened
chest of acorn, nut, seed;
Potential spreads: locked in living wood –
the husky promise, germ of truth; seed and shell.
Evangel: winds scatter, broadcast life.
The air nuzzles trees, caresses the couple
down by the sea. High above: leaves whisper – well-wish –
shake confettied Autumn, down, down.
Harvest: the sweetest fruit of life is love, stored in stout hearts.
Kind groom, fine bride: joined by living oath,
in age-old rite; this couple, framed against the columned wood
where evergreen stands vibrant against deciduous gold.
Fall: deciduous; life returns to life – a promise held within.
Fall: evergreen; fresh scented, self-renewing, unchanged
eternal growth. Nature: holds both in her balance.
Love – stored eternally – is ever remade.
