~ ~ ~
Without You, I Was
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A canyon without any echo,
a flower-bud withered and frail;
a planet without any sunglow;
an ice-storm without any hail.

     A sailboat lacking an anchor,
     life passing with meaningless time;
     a mirror without a reflection;
     a poem with never a rhyme.

A tear never able to fall,
a ring that could never be round;
a silent shrill whipporwill’s call,
a blizzard without any sound.

     A living without any story,
     a pain not proceeding on by;
     a lover with no tender passion,
     a still, windless pale winter sky.

An eagle without any feather,
a desert with only cold sand;
and seasons without any weather;
an earth without any dry land.

     A river without any motion;
     good-byes lying silent and cold.
     Living without any breathing;
     a youth growing quietly old.

*  *  *

But with you the sun gently rises.
The good-byes have changed into hellos;
joy sprang in with all new surprises,
and loving is all my heart knows.

~ ~ ~