Poetry

The great longing

Posted on: 24 April 2022

Autumn in Sierra Nevada.

It’s been too long

Since I sensed
Your fleeting breath
Brush untied threads
Of greying hair
From my weathered brow

It’s been too long

Since I laid bare
As your sacred fire
Flanked in swirling clouds
Kissed
My aching heart

It’s been too long

Since the scent
Of your fertile body
Infused my soul
With your ever-present
Mystery

Crunching through fallen walnuts
And nibbling on withered uvas

I remember

Many days have been lost
Adrift in the sea of longing

When we are apart
And I am overwhelmed
With desire

Foolishly

I patch the cracks
With snacks and chats
And this and that

But nothing leaves me sated
Like moments when
Here amongst the chestnut elders

With bulging pockets
Of rosehips and castañas

I sense
The timeless drum
Of your heartbeat

That was longing
All the while
For mine.

The great longing

Sam Lacey