On Passing Occasion for a Friend

A token taken,
A token given
For a fair woman,
A gentle friend.

In passing,
Life seems random,
Without cause,
Without effect

But every gesture,
Every word,
Every breath
Has its place.

Every occasion
Is marked and set,
But life isn’t
Cheerful at every step.

Clamor comes
Only for a moment,
Yet the good times
Last forever.

A gesture seen,
A faith believed
That love isn’t a moment
But an everlasting dream.

But dreams do pass,
They pass into the night—
One step, then two
Off into the cold night they pass.

Dreams last only as long
As the dreamer believes
And sees in his soul
A part of himself, a love to behold.

The lilies are blooming
At the water’s edge,
But the distance to be bridged
Is too far for the dreamer’s stead.

Alas, only Love can span the water
Between the two solitary islands,
Two different worlds—
Yet only silence is found instead.

On passing occasion
Sorrow could be found,
But the dreamer keeps on dreaming
Of a new world for his love.