The Wasted Hours

Amid the silent
hours of your absence
I am reminded of
what was before.

The sovereignty of solitude
returns for a moment, and the foundation
of my destiny trembles
like a forest pressed by an autumn wind.

I survived for years
without your smile,
but now you smile for me,
and a day without you
crawls past like a life age.

There is no warmth
from your grace-holding eyes,
no promise of heaven
that passes through your lips.

In all of this
there is only the waiting:
a slow parade of hours
and an inexorable faith
in the restoration
that you will soon provide.