Mortal Simplicity

I do not believe
love is eternal: being mortal
how can we know?
but I think I have known you--
known the gesture
of your face, a flower perched
on the stem of a neck,
the momentary disappointment
of your eyes
and skittery looks away.
I believe that love
is instantaneous and sharp
(that is why we think of arrows)
as the moment you swept
into the room and sat
in front of me
and we changed inside the moment,
a gesture as concisely human
as offering cake to a boy--
as simple and momentary
as that.