Love Should Grow, Not Wither
Love should be silent and whisper
As the gentle wind
Kisses
Cracked cheeks in dead winter,
Fast as the rolling thunder
Lightning the sky before stars dream—
Love should be earthy
As the laughter of children.
Love should build words in time
As the sun rises,
Leaving, as the sun sets
Rays to bloom roses,
Leaving, as the sun hides behind the mountain
Darkness that somehow yields to light—
Love should build words in time
As birds sing and fly.
Love should be free to—
Well.
For all the pain
A heart endures and a salty tear.
For love
The aching sounds and sweet breaths of life—
Love should grow,
Not wither.
–by Leonard A. Slade Jr.
Reprinted from Jazz After Dinner: Selected Poems