The Truth of You

Once in youth
In joy, in light
We danced together
The frantic dance of life
With eyes of fire
And sleeved hearts of pride
We reveled in our immortality

Our youth lent us beauty
Naiveté' made us brave and sure
With sweet poison on our breath
We laughed at life and distant death
And time and darkness, our oldest friends
Harbored us no harm, but made all burdens light

Today we learn of envy
And mortality revealed
When with tired, weary souls we find
The world racing by in younger eyes
Age and night fall fast and hard upon us
Stealing all grand dreams from our sight

Memory, a bittersweet blossom
Withers between the pages of pressing time
But gentle is my sight and mind
When I behold what my heart holds true
For I see not, believe not, the passing moment
But see instead, the simple, immortal, truth of you

Frank J. Hernandez