Treasure

If thou wert a chalice

I would sip from thee with care

Not for fear of loss

From artistry so fair

But rather so as not to waste

A single drop therein contained

.

If thou wert a sunrise

I would look on thee with glee

For in the moment of your rising

Every human eye would rest on thee

And the warmth of thine glowing

Into every heart would creep

.

If thou wert the ocean

I would sail with spirits high

And explore a world most wonderous

Beneath a pure and perfect sky

To seek out greater knowing

Of your mysteries far beyond the shore

.

If thou wert a treasure

I would admire from afar

For fear of greed in steeling

You away from what you are

A priceless gem of endless worth

And a shame to hide away

.

If thou wert a poem

I would in awe forever stand

Of the mind that crafted thee

From naught but cosmic sand

A radiant stanza

In the symphony of life

-0-

But thou art not a chalice

Nor yet the break of day

.

Thou art not an ocean

To bear me far away

.

Nor yet art thou a treasure

And thou art not a poem

Though to one like me you seem that way

-0-

To describe thee is a challenge

And the path is often fraught

With risk of losing sight of thee

Through the camera that I brought

.

A beautiful memory

Doomed to hang upon the wall

A snapshot of life's symphony

.

But thou art not a memory

To be displayed in grandest hall

Rather a growing sovereign life

To not be guarded jealously

-0-

If thou wert

Is a question of thine state

And tis impossible to quantify

An entity so great

As the person stood before me

With the sun upon their face

-0-

If thou wert a chalice

Though I would sip with utmost care

Soon thou would be empty

Despite your artistry so fair

.

If thou wert a sunrise

Though I would watch with glee

My joy would turn to sorrow

As you arc towards the sea

.

And if thou wert the ocean

Though I would with joy explore

Eventually I'd have to leave you

For my life that waits ashore

.

I say thou aren't a treasure

A cold and soulless thing

Nor yet art thou a poem

Crafted for a muse to sing

.

Rather I say thou art thine self

And to that self you must be true

The one to make a choice for thee

My love, it must be you

-0-

But if you would give consent

And so promise to be mine

I would cherish you and promise

Likewise, to be thine

.

Across the span of writing

The symphony of our lives

I would sip of thee with care

And watch you in the morning rise

Please forgive me if I stare

.

I would sail till I had seen it all

Side by side with you, my love

And heed at once thine treasured call

To listen as you recite

The poem of your life

.

If thou say yes

And agree to tie your lifetime beside mine

So would I, my love,

Likewise tie my own to thine

And explore this world with you

Till the reaper calls our time

-0-

I've naught to offer save that time

A simple spark upon this Earth

The one thing truly mine

And I offer it to you

In exchange for thine

-0-

Thou art not a chalice

For thou would overflow

The rim's attempt to keep you from

Wherever you would go

.

Thou art not a sunrise

For clouds can never hide

The burning love and joy within

The glowing soul inside

.

An ocean cannot encompass

All that thou mean to me

With the sole exception of

A spirit strong and free

.

A treasure cannot express

All the value that you hold

With smile bright and quick delight

Worth a million weight in gold

.

Thine story is a poem

In evolving, growing verse

Yet never captured on a page

Nor to spoken word coerced

-0-

From now till death, I wish to hear

At the birth of every year

That melodic voice of thine

Whispering that you're mine

.

And to that whisper I would say

with the birth of every day

Though you I cannot define

That forever I am thine

.

Thou art a wonder first and last

And when our time is long since past

I hope that I have earned the right

At the fading of our light

For our dust to intertwine

Forever to be thine

And to call you in my turn

Forever mine