Settled

The other day, my lover said to me,
"Do you think that we knew more joy
In the days when we could destroy
Ourselves with a breath, with a free
Look- when like nomads we could flee?"

And I had no answer for her then,
But I think that time has given to me
A gift of slow steady clarity,
So that I can see the "what-has-been"
In as strong a light as "what-if-when."

My love, we loved like the wild river,
Swollen with snowmelt in the spring,
Rolling down from the mountains to sing
A song that makes the heart shiver;
Wildness and strength we could deliver.

But, my love, the strength lasted only
The moment it took to sweep a block away.
Then we would continue, joyous and at play.
Yet what did we know then, of being lonely,
Of being true to the one and the only?

My love, we are now like a vast settled plain
That supports the herd, bears the house,
And has learned, in afternoons, to drowse.
We have learned the meaning of strength in pain,
What it is like to bear, and not complain.

My love, we loved like eagles in flight,
Swooping across the translucent skies,
Driven on by a mix of our own wild cries
And the air and the wind and the light,
Raised to an apex, gifted with height.

My love, eagles cannot fly forever;
Eventually, they must retire to rest,
And then they must have a settled nest,
A place where they are welcome ever,
A place from which they cannot dissever.

My love, we have learned to be that nest,
And when one of us takes eagle form,
And swoops away like a wild summer storm,
The other knows that peace and rest
Will call the wanderer back to the breast.

My love, we loved like waves on the sea,
Rearing to crush the fragile human ships,
Splitting the wood apart in foamy lips,
Gnawing and then turning and running free,
Having the choice, but choosing to flee.

But, my love, waves always reach the shore;
Then they crash, and, fragile, they die.
They can only tower for a short time to the sky;
Then they deform, and wander no more.
Such is earth's law; such is nature's lore.

My love, we have learned to love like oceans,
Always knowing the wave's destined end,
Learning to flow, to surge, and to bend,
Learning the high and ebb-tide of emotions,
Learning to tolerate the others' commotions.

So, my love, if in days when we were young
We knew more freedom, and we ran wild,
Then yes is the answer- but so does a child.
And we loved like children in the days gone,
In the days when our lives were unsung.

Now we have settled; now we are the song
That has been playing for years on end.
Now each is a lover, and each a best friend.
Now we have learned to love our lives long,
And we are settled, continuous, and strong.

Now we are the plain where the stream
Rushes by, and we can turn and gaze
At the hurrying water out of our haze.
Then we smile, and sink into our dream
While all around us the full summers gleam.

Now we are the nest where the eagles lie,
And we understand the need to cradle
Some parts of us in a place safe and stable.
Now, though we turn and look to the sky,
We do not live only when we can fly.

Now we are the seas where the waves run,
And we can flow around each other and change
In response to each other; nothing is strange,
And when the wave falls, we are not done;
Ever-changing, eternal, we shine in the sun.