Firelight

Now, when there is no union
Of palm to palm
And the last touch of mouth to mouth
Melts, and is lost in shades of thought,
It is the firelight, not the fire
That is realised.
That glow which lights the eyes and spreads 
Like sheen of silk through
The dark passages of feeling,
Heals, yet wounds, blinds
Yet wakes the senses to a clearer vision
New found and terrifying
It comes, not from the heat but the light.
So, we will smile and
Those images that are reflected in our eyes
I in yours, you in mine
Smiling at the knowledge 
That binds us both,
Remembering that it is the firelight
Not the fire,
That is realised.

Cathleen Benson