-- Not Knowing --

John Herlihy

He knew not where he stood with her.

Her guarded eyes not yet fully opened.

The veils of the heart not yet fully lifted.

He smelt of oak and grass and molasses.

His easy manner, forthcoming and giving.

Feeling emptiness when each one there.

The future held no sure promise of arrival.

By the vast, blue ocean, wide to the horizon.

Each bodily before the other, mentally where?

The cries of the gulls flew across the heavens.

Whispers of the waves held secrets unheard.

He stood, buffeted by the wind, so weightless.

His heart beat wild to the rhythm of the surf.

Not knowing, his blood sang the truth of her.

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(c) John Herlihy 3 August 2020