The Valentine silent and unseen
The one long-lived with me
I take it now out of its gilded box
Built by time with tears for locks
Handmade with skill and polished by heart
Seamless and sturdy my craftsman’s art
Fashioned by love to hold a spark
Of the blaze of her I keep apart
Treasure that is mine alone
Carried deep where I have roamed
A gift she gave long ago
Her love in my blood aglow
Kept in my simple chest of bark
Her light to light my life made dark
Written February 14, 1997
(desmond)
A beautiful piece by my Dad. Not sure who the subject of this poem was. I can usually recognize the tones he used when he was writing about my Mom, either honeyed or hostile. Sometimes he would say that the voices of his writing moved through him, translating the story of another. I just love images this poem conjures up – a treasured love buried deep in a gilded box. So touching.
Image: Aleksandra Zaborowska
About Desmond and Poems Unrequited.
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