1.
The sky roils, a wave bites;
A gull swerves near the window.
“We’ll watch the storm,” you say
To ease a momentary rockiness
That’s come between us,
“And talk things over.”

I don’t know another woman like you.
You warm a nasty day,
Turn knotted, rain-bound feelings
Into a spectrum of colors,
A kaleidoscope of joyful musings.
You soften a dry heart,
Clotted with unfeeling
Then send astringent gusts
Of your own to stir my thoughts.

The wind that sweeps across the bay
Whirls through the woodland,
Topples trees, clogs paths,
Whips a skirl of last year’s leaves.

“It isn’t only us,” I say. “The musicians I work with
Argue without stopping and I lack the courage
To say what I think. I was hoping that
I’d shed my stiffness when I got with you,
‘Cause I’m always limber when we’re together.
What do you think I should do?”


“Are they mad at you?” you ask.
“Part of the time,” I admit.
You inch away, pensive, then look at me
Wide-eyed, surprised, maybe even pleased
That I’d talk about my feelings with you.
“The reticence you’ve grown like a cocoon,”
You say, “stifles your flow. It’s harmful
If an artist muffles dissonant cries within
And ignores others in the surrounding air.”

“An artist finds good images to describe our situations:”
You say and take us down a new path:

– sadness is gray,
– disappointment a heavy stone
that finally rolls away.
– Discontent is a ball of wire.
– Love is stronger,
a tempest, a blaze,
though it can come like a circus clown
(watch out when that happens).
Best, love is a gleam of
comprehension in grimy clouds,
unshakable help in a hurricane.”

I won’t try my hand at picture-language, too,
Even to open up my love for you,
Because I won’t fare well
(You’re the poet, after all),
So I nod and say that’s nice.
You say, so that I’ll see a hint of your inner life,
“I deal with challenges, too.
I strengthen myself not to run or hide.
I inspect the storms that lash at me,
Even when several strike on one day,
Until I overcome them.
I turn fear or dread
Into shapely forms.
I speak up, too, now and then.
If you love something or hate it,
Let us know. Saying it will
Revive crushed feelings and enlarge your soul.”

2.
After the rain stops,
We go outside to check
The damage to your plants.
A day that began with glowers and gusting winds
Will likely end in peace.

You say (making sure again I see you right),
“I hope you’ll understand
I can’t be cheerful
Every moment of the day.
I don’t force feelings
Or smother them
And never pretend love
When it doesn’t exist.”

You don’t say – but I can tell –
That despite the ache of broken things
And inner storms of anger or jubilation
Akin to my own
You reach out in steady hope.

The tension between us passes.
A chord strikes, our thoughts connect,
Feelings spin like pinwheels
And run like thawing streams.
We come together
As one for a moment.
Truth and senses coalesce
And we become what we were meant to be.

3.
Clouds rush in again,
The wind rises,
Cold rain returns.
We move inside.
While you make us
A salad and lentil soup
We talk about our circumstances.

We’d hoped for better weather
Than the storm that kept us in –
A long walk in the woods,
A picnic at the beach,
And then at sunset
Hearts that romp and ring
Through town like bells.

Instead, storm-bound and over-sensitive,
We create uneasy moments
When we wonder if our wills
Will converge or collide.
Will we part eagerly Monday morning,
Happy that the weekend is over
Or will we linger on your step
Between embrace and farewell,
Two wanderers past forty
Thunder-struck with love?

“Storms are part of the whole,” you say, musing.
And we move together in thought after all.
“We’ve both weathered a few squalls.
We’ll survive the rest.
We could raise a hurricane ourselves, you know,
If feelings ever seized and tightened.
We’d work through that storm, too.
What I mean to say is
That driving winds eventually settle down,
Since love is the strongest part.”

We smile, abashed,
At our housebound chatter.
Situations that perplex
And word-pictures that startle our minds
And usually miss the mark –
All flicker away.
Whispers of the down-to-earth
Move in to take their place.
The touch of your hands
Will stay in my memory,
As will the caress of your voice,
The brush of your lips,
The grace of your moving,
And the courage to cope
That you pass along to me
As I look ahead to
Turbulence at work.
You give me what I need,
At least for now.

Have I done the same for you?
If so, love will shimmer in the shadings
Of our thoughts and in the hope
Of meetings not delayed
For longer than our friendship can abide.