existence itself diaphanous as a fine scarf

found in an ancient trunk stored in some attic

translucent as silk passed down through generations

memento from a faraway war, gift for someone long forgotten

knowledge made fragile now by weighted time

one light breath can cause any fray to part

one wept tear can rupture all the threads

pieces falling as gently as life’s joys and sorrows

a heartbreak, a whispered hope, a last daring dream

I hold the beauty of your smile

cupped in my hand, a glowing light

take it gently into the evening hour

when the sun begins to fade

there under the branches of a leafless tree

I open my fingers to allow it flight

this other spark of love

it flickers upwards into the sky

joining all that star the night

the kind gazes, the unexpected generous words,

the endless compassionate acts