LOVE CASTS ITS SHADOW
Ask not me
what love is
for I am
just learning
that it isn’t
what I used
to know it to be
yes, I can recognize it
for it has a certain sound
like a waterfall
natural and mesmerizing
it has a flavor
like a ripe fruit
succulent and tasty
it has a presence
like a mountain range
it has a vastness
like a prairie
it has an energy
like a spectacular sunrise
and that sunrise
it can only hope
you notice each second
for it changes all the time
and cannot repeat itself
love casts a shadow
where the lover may rest
if the beauty becomes too much
but in that shadow
all one can do
is recount
the magnitude
of the blessings
and love has a feel to it
like fat snowflakes on warm cheeks
like a baby in your arms
like sitting on a mossy rock
in the sun
dangling your feet
in cool water
and dreaming
of such a thing
as love itself.
Julie Evans—3/25/2002