The White Feather
Once upon a morning pretty
And by a lake not near the city
Two friends walked & there they talked
In the misty dew afore rooster cocked
A time before buds come forth on trees
In early spring with still cool breeze
She spoke of him & he of her
Of feelings right, & good & pure
Not so often and really quite rarely
Could one ever feel such things so fairly
Moments become minutes & minutes, hours
Amidst the birds, & butterflies, & flowers
As they spoke of times, & tunes & things
A dove flew over flapping her wings
As if in slow motion above she hovered
They in a breathless moment she covered
With mouths open and full of wonder
They watched this dove they were under
Then from her wing she dropped a fine feather
Before they could think they caught it together
The two who had not yet shared a kiss
Nor even what its like to share such bliss
Held in their hands a precious symbol
And heaven sounded a tinkling cymbal
And on that day they made a promise
That neither time nor fate nor what it costs us
Nor occasion of perhaps great loss
Or even oceans we must cross
Will ever from us this moment keep
For better is this than any dream of sleep
And so they made haste their promise to seal
The feather to send to remind & appeal
The fledgling lovers knew not was to come
For lifes twists and turns exacted its sum
That parted them for what lasted long years
And the memories they shared became only tears
Good things & bad things they saw in their seasons
But wondered of that time & its reasons
She cried thinking of what could have been
Likewise he thought, but remembered no sin
On many a stormy day come dreary
When her heart ached & her soul quite weary
She brought out that feather and upon it gazed
Remembering that moment & she it amazed
She knew of no place where to find him
Empty hope made her heart feel quite grim
He dreamed of her some & sometimes often
The look on her face made his heart soften
Home he went after many a year
And saw the place of the one he held dear
Long gone was she whom he once knew
And the white dove that above them flew
But once upon this morning pretty
And by a lake not near the city
A stranger approached & to him speaks
Of a time long past & what she seeks
And in her hand a pure white feather
Nicely placed on velvet & leather
And she spoke to him of whom she lost
finding him would all her strength exhaust
With tears a plenty & her vision a blur
She begged the old man, Please tell me, sir
She asked if he knew of the one she had lost
If he could help her shed pay any cost
He smiled then there when he saw her tears
Knowing she searched for him all these years
He took the feather & rubbed her cheek
And told her, I am he, the one you seek
