A Gentle Loss
Under a sky
Where no-one knew us
We knew ourselves
Days faded
And rushed into each other
Dark secrets played out
Flashing in and out of view
A picture of our moods
We were in the path
Of something wonderful
In the midst of the fire
In the midst of water
Crying out in thirst
Between deep longings
And deep ecstasies
Waiting
For the darkest of the clouds
To pass
Where risk
Gave shape
To something shapeless
And to long seconds
That spoke of eternal things
There was a quietness in those moments
The stillness of our resolve
And we breathed ourselves
Into each other
Like a star within cloud
Or like the moon
Each night we would climb
Once again to the stars
And the nights
Stretched cautiously ahead
Sweet was the breath of that evening air
Which seems now but vacant space
Images of us
Recalled
By way of silken thread
We knew then
That pages were being written
And though the words were never spoken
And the moment
Had not yet arrived
We knew it would be a gentle loss
Softly flickering
Against a moonless sky
© Ann Bagnall 2014.