A Life's Work
In the country of my youth
Stood a pine grove, belly-full
Of dappled light and ferns of
Maidenhair.
Spent men once laid there to rest,
And never rose again, so
Reluctant were they to leave
Paradise.
There I made my home among
Roots outstretched like lover’s arms,
Downy fronds gentler than a
Feather bed.
What dreams came to me, dearest,
In the inked thrall of night,
Were mingled joy and heartache:
A life’s work.
Once I have wandered through that
Undiscovered country, God,
Let me glimpse his face and know:
I am home.