He breaks the spell of a cold forest.
Twigs silent for so long crack in protest,
Drying leaves rustle their discontent.
Startled he runs from the bush through a clearing
And back again.
Muscles contract and swell with each step
Proving to those who need it
The existence of the divine
and his beloved.
Do I step forward,
There’s a desire, a yearning
To touch, to connect.
In this clearing two worlds have collided.
Amongst the trees, I face beauty
Would he consider me a devotee?
Two worlds intertwine.
Will he retreat back?
Would he accept the homage,
of a touch or a caress?
Would my longing be a bridge
To infinity or an end?
The distance between us both
Shrinks and grows.
Can he understand my wish
Do I comprehend his desire.
Without a word he leaps.
Spellbound I follow, rapt.
Darting hither and yon,
I fear separation.
Thankfully, we meet again,
Bound by our confusion.
Was this serendipity
Or happenstance.
Before we can re-connect.
As my hands reach out
The dogs bark.
The words “They’re after me”
between us.
He’s off again,
Full of grace, full of virility.
Running towards the sun.
And I’m lost.
Lost, not knowing if I wanted
This moment never to end
Or if I wanted it to progress.
Longing for an eternal now.
A shadow’s loneliness.
Neither wanting to be lost
in the sun,
or found in the shadows.
In the silence I look around me
Knowing that for today at least,
He is safe and flowers
Have begun to bud around me.
Like a shadow – I am and I am not…