Drifters

We are drifters
           in a drifting crowd
and I have watched you
           watch the stars
and marvel at the depth
           of space around us

Inner and outer space
           the tender silence
that envelops us
           : what will we make
from this darkness
           if not love
and trust
           and fidelity
the enduring need
           for each other

Say that all things
           are grown from seed
including the apple
           of my eye
Say that without love
           life is no big deal
a mystery unworthy
           of our consciousness
Say that love is
           the one thing
that humbles
           and exalts

A rose
           by any other name
but not so love
           The ebb and flow
of all things
           and the constancy
of love : the word
           has no equal
and without it
           wearisome dust

John Lyons