© 2011 Ron Shafer

When sunset fades and moonlight bathes the sky,
When nightingales announce the end of day,
And the breeze whispers softly, like your sigh,

With hands entwined, we count the stars, and I
Fall captive to your touch and your embrace,
When sunset fades and moonlight bathes the sky.

But what, I wonder, if these feelings die
Like flowers doomed to bloom, wilt, and decay?
And the breeze whispers softly, like your sigh.

To fall in love, risk loss and hurt, is why
I know that I should keep my heart at bay,
When sunset fades and moonlight bathes the sky.

But in the light reflecting in your eyes,
The love I see speaks more than words can say.
And the breeze whispers softly, like your sigh.

As if you know my fears, your lips brush mine
And doubts, like withered petals, whisk away,
When sunset fades and moonlight bathes the sky,
And the breeze whispers softly, like your sigh.

I could compare you to a summer’s day,
Tell how your smile reminds me of the sun.
So bright and warm and beautiful, I’d say.
That metaphor won’t work. It’s overdone.

An ode to you as Muse seems apropos,
The goddess who inspires me to write.
My very own Caliope, although
No similes of mine would come out right.

An author may take years to write a book,
To steal a scene from Life and create Art.
This poet needs a lifetime just to look
For all the words that hide inside his heart.

No words I write or lines I’ve ever penned
Can tell you what it means to be your friend.

Ron Shafer graduated from the Writing Popular Fiction program at Seton Hill University in 2003.  His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in local and regional publications.  He currently lives in Greensburg, in the same neighborhood as most of his characters.