Other Loves

Down in the Valley Below

These paths are ours now, Love, carved in time

By pilgrim dead, by lost and restless souls,

Wanderers seeking Heaven's quiet corners

On roaming hills and near the foaming seas,

Claiming stone, dirt and dust for just their own.

We shaped us here, Love, learned our peace

On these old ways bearing others' myths, tales of

Gain or loss half-forgot across the dawdling years,

Sometimes bragged, sometimes whispered,

Through a thousand fierce and gentle seasons.

So slip your hand in mine, Love, clasp me tight,

And, as shadows rise, lengthening o'er the moor,

We, flush with spotless hope, will slip homewards,

Each step assured where'er we unknowing tread,

Up on the cliffs above or down in the valley below.

For H., 24th September, 2023
Inspired by Lee Otterburn's painting Down in the Valley Below