lavender tears
of silent surrender
– pewter restored
to a moment divine
last time I held you –
last time a whisper
in blushes of dogwood
blossomed
to skin

secrets
told somewhere
others are saying –
how long the night
 protecting the dawn –
recalled to the memory
 another undoing –
led us to paths
were to share
let us go

powder magnolia
and split fences falling
tangled our words
into something forgot
the reasons
for staying –
and who would remember
the scent of forever
was dogwood
to bloom

. . .