do you think
that isolation
and loneliness
are turning me into an old woman
staying here among
the thin, dying          grasses

wiping away rust
from the inner workings
of the waterclock

just on the other side of this wall,
looking back     i can see
children clapping their hands
sunlight sparkles there   only for an instant
the waters of the lake are dark green
shadows melt into a kiss
on the grass there are drops of dew
also fallen leaves

winter takes off his wet boots
in the january thaw
life and clouds all mingle here
then snow falls again on this
small infinity

and at the end of this wall of stone
with its slow-growing lichens
hangs the flag of a shadow

even though it is true   that poets
never want to play by the rules
always demanding  that everything
should be beautiful

remember that the curve of my embrace is forever
it will never sink away
it is bent here for love
to protect the pure, cloudless sky
that is like a small cameo
pinned to infinity

it is love
that brings me closer
to that eternal blue