Where two or more are gathered

Whisper like the twilight on the steps
between Harlow’s Pub and the rest of all
that does not matter

Enter and fingertip the blessed font,
christen your brow with a wash of greetings
holier than mere chatter

Pour a pint over the rim of the chasm
between laughter and the rest of all
that is simple to forget

Linger over bawdy conversation and
love’s perennial promises of kisses that
none could ever regret

Hear poet and player in shadow puppet
story and song in stringed rhythm
plucked without neglect

of days hardly spent and nights’ drumbeats
in vibrant ears, spirits tethered by
the tenuous ring of glass and the deep
longing for music without time

Dream against the daymares that steal
the moments of clarity and strength,
letting heresies loose, embrace the real
in gratitude for each life’s length

and praise the baptismal ale
at the pale end of day


©Bill Gnade
January 2003