Double Farewell

To be read while listening to Hurts singing "Till you come back where you belong, It's just another lonely Sunday."


1

This little death of parting will not kill
 The love we share, though it will make me bleed,
And all the bitter drops of blood that spill
 Will skein my sorrow with the stain of need.
Without you, life is an abandoned house,
 A hole that will become the heart of all.
Sadness will nibble at me like a mouse,
 Forlornness drown me in a waterfall.
If I were walking in an empty room,
 My footsteps would not echo half as loud
As they do in my city now, where gloom
 Rules all, and I am lonely in a crowd,
    Seeing your face in every face I see
    And blind to all till you come back to me.

2

There is a part of me that you will take
 With you whenever you’re apart from me:
A cutting from my heart that will not break
 But branch into your own heart constantly.
If you should quake, it will not move an inch.
 If you should fall, then it will give you wings.
If you should hesitate, it will not flinch.
 If you should feel depressed, hear how it sings.
It’s yours to keep, no matter where you go
 Or who you travel with--my stringless gift--
A quilt to warm you when you need a throw,
 A compass pointing home when you’re adrift.
    And if it blossoms and the fruit be true,
    Give it away--as I gave mine to you.

Copyright 2010 Matthew J Wells

This one is for Eva

Manhattan Sonnet - 22

I watch you tug imaginary gloves
  And tilt your head because you hate your chin,
And then play through the city’s rush and shoves
  As if Manhattan were your violin.
Your tune is high and soaring, like your dreams:
  The major theme of one great symphony
That will resolve the concrete with the seems
  Into a concord of true harmony.
And as you play, I note just how composed
  You are, how all the strain falls from your eyes,
And how, beneath your cat-mouth, is exposed
  A smile born out of passion and surprise
     Because, in these harsh streets, you’ve finally met
     A mate to mate with in a choice duet.

Copyright 2010 Matthew J Wells