Ode to a Spring Evening

Written April 1986

The evening
In melancholy begins
Weighing the heart
As we turn our steps
To the street
Walking, the rhythm
That soothes the nerves
Putting the day
To rest.

We cross the town
Winding down to the shore
Beside the river
Where the wind blows lonely
And the solitude
Refreshes.

Then high above the water
We find the park
With newborn flowers
Beckoning us to the paths
They nestle beside,
The woods in twilight
Leading to the aged pagoda
That watches over
The heart of this
Little town.

We pause.
The lights twinkle below
As darkness settles and
The silence spreading
With the mist that rises
From the river
On this cool spring evening.

The grey light lies softly
Catching the raindrops
That still cling to the bushes
Now alive with
Tender green leaves
So brave in the chill
That denies
Spring will come
Once more.

And from my heart
There bursts forth
A love
That does not die
Or diminish
With time's passing
And like this spring
Evening
Slips quietly into its
Creator's care.