Written to his second wife, Ann (also known as the totem-muse Leopard) in 1999, this poem reveals a gentle affection and devotion.
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your smile is sacred to me.
would that a chalice of communion wine
hold half the redemptive power of your kiss,
for faith is a turbulent dream in this age,
this age in which your grace in saving me
from the false religions of self-cut idols
of balsa and tin and cheap velour.
pure runs the water tested by fires
caught and contained and feeding, seeding
the clouds with the essence of life.
for you are the fire and the rain
and the sun and the clouds and the sky.
and your smile is sacred to me.
William F. Devault. all rights reserved.