After

After the journey and the arrival…
After the kiss upon the threshold…
After the warm night, safe in the cabin…
After the first gleams of sunrise,
The walk, naked, to the lake, together…
After the cold shock of bathing,
And all the shrieks of laughter…
After my seeing, and licking free,
Those droplets of water
Caught on your nipples,
And the undenied arousal in us…
After our lovemaking by the shore,
With which we celebrated sunrise,
Rolling in the grass and leaves,
Coming to scarcely bearable climax…
After bathing once again,
Almost reverently for the lake’s glory,
Its purity, it’s mirror-stillness
And the sun-brilliant reflections…
We let the ripples still themselves,
And stood together, thigh deep,
Held hands, looked into each other’s face…
After a minute’s stillness, we spoke words
As near to wedding vows
As anyone had ever heard –
Except there were no witnesses there
Save nature’s own – the trees, the birds.
To care, one for the other, in sickness;
To cherish, to honour, to obey;
Whatever came, be it good or evil, to us;
Till death alone should sunder us.
We knew there was no earthly power
Would recognise this sacred vow,
But still we made it –
And sealed it with that secret ring
Unknown to all save loving women.

After all this we said goodbye.
You went towards the flowers and sunshine,
I towards the rain and lovely mountains.
And here I sit alone, but not lonely,
For I am warmed enough by that vow;
And I shall keep it sacred – know
That I shall hold to it, if I hold alone!
For such things done in such sacred places
Are a knot tied with the heart,
Which cannot be undone, which endures,
Which lives in all eternal realms,
And echoes through all loving hearts;
After? Yes, after all of that –
What else could there ever be?