The Words We Spoke
Remember when
the words we spoke
were sweet as aged wine?
But now, those words
are bittersweet
with the taste of lemon rind.
Words, we often speak
with disregard
for time upon the vine.
In youth we drank
the sweetest wines
and kissed with lips
of fire.
Now, those lips are bitter cold
absent all desire
and only seek
to speak of love
when it’s the grandkids
that we hold.
We blame the change
on bodies wracked with pain
or tears that fell
and spoiled the wine
or lives destroyed by rain.
Yet, in our hearts
the deepest part
we know that love still lives
and shows itself in gentler ways
as words remain unsaid.
A simple touch can bring
a year of love.
A glance, a memory.
A breath across parted lips
can be a love song on the wind.
A gentle brush on naked skin
reminds a rendezvous
from those years we lived in sin
before we said, “I do!”
Our love’s not lost
it simply changed
the language that we use.