(a villanelle)
The restless yearning of the heart
Finds truest freedom in this paradox:
We grow together as we grow apart.
It is not wise to think that Cupid’s dart
Can tranquilize and lock within a box
The restless yearning of the heart,
For though we fuse together at the start
We must acknowledge lest we hit the rocks
We grow together as we grow apart.
The taste of love can turn from sweet to tart
When forced conformity cannot outfox
The restless yearning of the heart.
Much better to acknowledge, and then chart
How as each partner’s calling comes and knocks,
We grow together as we grow apart.
This wisdom long experience imparts:
It is our trust which at the last unlocks
The restless yearning of the heart –
We grow together as we grow apart.
Penguin Poems 