if i go away

 

if i go away in the
stillness of things
     the slumbering woods
     a lotus in the pond
will words be strung
to ensnare me with
midflight?

or finally a funeral
for dead possessions?
     doubts never uttered
     secrets never shared
one day in November
in the bitter cold,
hastily

if i go away, erase
the maps round you,
     i have faith in arrows
     but i drown in numbers
and change your scent
to bergamot and I will
stray

or fell the curtains
to keep the light in
     a life more complete
     a haven for another
and i will look away.
no more and nothing,
uninvited


but you must know this


if i go away, i will
leave a wing behind
     dregs of a love lost
     a hint of life afore
and reclaim it in time
to steal heaven's fire
again.


if i go away