Pure and simple

What life teaches
           if we are prepared to learn
is to be simple
           to tear away all
that is unnecessary
           and cut to the quick
to the marrow

Life pared to the bone
           unembellished life
in all its beauty
           first seen in the breath
of innocents celebrated
           in the breath of lovers
who value another
           above all else

The purity of the rose
           can never be defeated
lips locked in a kiss
           can never be outdone
not by poetry not by painting
           we are here to give praise
and when we remember
           to give thanks for the love
that is shared in our time
           and in our space

John Lyons