Gladys Edgerton: Love's Passing

“Gold as the sun,
Bold as a boy,
Your wanton wings waken
The love you destroy,
Leaving within the heart of each flower
Longing for an impassioned hour.

Shade of the sea,
Maid of the sky,
Your azure wings beat on
My heart as you fly
Dreamily on in a happy trance,
Letting me wither with never a glance.

Rare as a pearl,
Fair as a nun,
Your white wings inspire
The love that you shun,
Rising from passion and glad desire
Into the sun’s heart higher and higher.

Flown from the world,
Blown like a breath,
You leave me earth-rooted
And wedded to death,
Wasting for lips I have never known,
Hoarding my fragrance for you alone! ”