On the Banks of the Rubicon at Dawn

And if we never see the world

if we never slow dance with the sky
or sweet talk with the clouds
or get intimate with a virgin sea

if we never get carried
by bullet trains to places
that will rewrite this life
for our weary eyes

if we never find
our storybook adventure
or lay our heads
in the cashmere of twilight
with ephemeral diamonds

if we never share a table
with fame and fortune
to get drunk off liquid temptations
and bottles of expensive sin

if we never change the course
of history, or touch
the hearts of millions

if we miss the chance
to write our names on walls
where we will be remembered

may we be wise enough to see
that the love we found
has always been enough
to feed our dreams
and our sense of wonder

that inside it we have a kingdom
and the wind blows like
satin mysteries over the miles
of our inner journeys
where we have traveled far
and seen plenty

that we are worthy

that here,
we did something that measures up
to the prestige of ancient
civilizations we never witnessed
and the glamour of foreign
languages we never spoke

that our choices to drop
our anchors at this shore,
to build a home and over the years
keep repainting these same walls
so we could hope to feel new,
have all been rewarded by voices
and footsteps and little handprints
of postcard-worthy moments

that over this old familiar horizon
we have seen sunrises and constellations
each different from the one before
each beautiful

that what’s outside
of the universe we’ve created
may be lovely, but
it can be sung with
a few well-chosen verses
and vicariously lived
in quiet contentment
through the words and lenses
of those who walked
a different path from ours,

without regret

and with my hand
clasped in yours