Acquiesce

There was
an infinity of snow
and the Lazarus rattle
of the North wind searching
among bare-faced trees.

Miles of glittering white
burned underfoot, as
we watched ragged crows
forage in the distance.

The mulled wine drops
on the paperblank earth
shone like heart`s blood
in that hazy 10am.

As our words hung together
in warm laughter clouds,
it seemed that life could
have ended just then.

But if for an hour
I could go back there,
knowing the unknowable,
the gradual unfolding
of years and the
piercing loss to come,
I`d offer my life again
to that dark-eyed girl
who once believed in me.