A Moment

When I thought it was over,
It began,
In you,
While I settled into not knowing you.

Years of wasted talk,
Marking time,
Blushes joked away,
Shells uncracked.

Then we touched,
For one long moment,
And the years of careful hiding
Were gone.

And now we know
The joys,
The agonies.

Must happiness hurt so much?
Must each touch be so desperate?
Can tenderness be so cruel?

And yet,
We are one,
In joys undreamt.

And now we know
Each other.

James K. Richardson