Image credit: http://www.bbc.com

The long walk that afternoon
You arm strung casually
across my shaking shoulders
Our bodies close enough as though our heat
could banish every cold

This memory still resonates
An intimacy made of time
and lies that glowed like holy truths
along that dusty beaten path

Your head was bent toward my own
Your attention still and calm
The pace of walking overflowed
cascading, brittle charm
And while the storm clouds gathered
not a whisper of alarm

No rhyme can hold is metre
for each metre that we walked
Each step we found propelled us
to a precipice as yet unseen
A kiss at daybreak might have saved
more than our lives
More than we could bear

And yet I see you waiting there
A sentinel against the evening sky
to wrap me in this memory
of that long walk on that cold afternoon
before the ice began

(c) Helen Valentina 2014, All Rights Reserved