Lest I Die Unbloomed

“Men must endure their going hence even as their coming hither. Ripeness is all”-- King Lear Act V Scene ii

Why should not folks be mad

My dear, when women

Wear the same painted face

And men the same slant

Why should not

You throw the pearl of your soul

Into your passions

And eat the fruit of all the trees

In the garden of

The world

When living fully

Is such a healthy flower

To wear on one's bosom

The gift and breath of

Mother Earth Herself

Yet dearest, be wary

Keeping to the trees

On the sunlit side of the garden, shunning

The other for its grey and gloom

When sorrow can also be

The seed to

The sweetest fruit

For I hope you taste the lavender

Of whispered secrets,

The earl gray of misty mornings

Feel your cheek glow red with pleasure

But also learn to hear the words of pain

Or walk on the thorns of remorse

Or learn to lose in life or lust

Yet most all

I wish, my dear,

For you to be able to

Sit and breathe

Wherever you may be

That eternal Breath

From the sweet air that

Touches the sun.