A lady strides among the blossoms
Of an enchanting pastel glade,
Her smile is soft,
Her blue eyes shy,
Within a wide brim's shade.
Her dress, a sweet confection,
Its cut the latest style,
Flows airily down,
From neck to ground,
Innocent, free of guile.
Within small hands she holds a book,
Brand new, its binding stiff,
The title gleams
In rich gold leaf
Where ere the sun's rays hit.
Roses bloom upon her cheeks
As she reads the bold inscription,
"These words herein
For you were writ,
Proclaiming my ardent intentions."
Gracefully sinking to the grass
She traces the scrawl of his name,
First with her finger,
Then with her lips,
And she trembles
With love's banked flames.

c. 1997