A Tract Against Despair

   - for C. B.

Death lurks in
every shadow;
in the end
the light
must fail;
this battle
cannot be won.

But between
that and now,
remain moments
glowing like pearls,
radiant, numinous
and satisfying.

Hold them
in your hands,
let them touch
your body
and your heart,
embrace them
like the child
who must leave,
like the lover
who will depart.

We cannot
defeat death,
but we can
stand for life,
if only
a little while,
in the shining
human moments
that remain.
  - mce