Life Wears Us
The fabric of a life, how soon it tears
Asunder, thins, becoming flimsy rag.
With no condign excuse we reach an age
When a belated love, with brimming tears
And urgent limbs, besieges our lulled heart.
About us, though, we see the bright world’s weave
And feel the strength of it, as we perceive
The ample beauty of each patterned part.
It wants to wear us out, this life, for love,
Renewed, astonishes, betrays, and wracks
Our flesh. This material we’re made of
Must hold our losses and our pain, must clothe
Bewilderment and shame, withstand attacks
Of anger and despair, suppressing both.