One More Evening

 

One more evening –

God, give me one more evening,

With a sun somewhere

Below the horizon

And the final clouds

Dying in pastels,

 

And a moon waxing

(Or waning, either will do),

And – if it’s not too much –

A parade of fireflies,

Sewn at random

Across the meadow

Like Will o’ the Wisp.

 

Just one more evening –

And after that, just one more;

And after that, one further evening,

And one to follow,

And on and on.

God, please –

Give me just a million evenings,

And when those are passed

I will say goodnight –

 

But not with gratitude –

No, never with gratitude –

Because that is akin to resignation,

And I would not have a soul –

Not one worthy of the name –

If I did not always want

One more, one more, one more.