We took Roman roads

down to a gravel quarry,

careful to over-step

the lilies all around and

dodging between patches

of the speckled yellow light

falling through the trees,

I could feel the air turning

softer, a blur beckoning back

to the sleeplessness of the night before.

You tumbled down those bright hills

and I watched you catch yourself

in puddles at the bottom

stumbling all up until we

kissed by the river,

my hands still in my pockets.