Poem: The Only Promise I Could Make

I could not build you a castle of pearl.
I don’t shine like Gabriel. We’re all
of the earth. There’s nothing indestructible
inside us but love.

I couldn’t promise
that your eyes
would forget what it’s like to weep.
I couldn’t promise
health, gold or untroubled sleep.
Time runs and overcomes,
breaking all levees,
flooding all homes.

All I could ever promise
was love like a cougar’s heart.
A love that would flow ceaselessly
like the wind on the American prairie.
Two heartbeats in the light and...