Steam folds across the china
a waltz of bergamot;
the clock forgets to matter
and peace is what we’ve got
We speak in soft ellipsis
of dreams and rain and grace;
outside the roses curtain
the sea’s gray-haired embrace
A sparrow shares our crumbs of thought
a ship confides its sigh;
we trade our past for moment
and watch the hours fly
When teacups cool to silence
and sun drops past the pier—
the heart remains a harbor
where every season’s dear