A Touch of Love

A touch of love and petals open,

blossoms burst through snowy bark,

eaglets dare the mountain gorges,

songbirds giggle in the midnight rain.

A touch of love and colors deepen,

rainbows skew the steel-armed sky,

hoarfrost melts and windows open,

spring-breath squeezes through the screen.

A touch of love and pulses scamper,

crippled fingers flex to play,

wrinkles smooth like bedsheets straightened,

pinched hearts float on roller skates.

A touch of love and teardrops scatter,

sobbing ebbs like a misspent wave,

prison bars of gloom smile broken,

hope at last slides free the lock.

A touch of love and blindness brightens,

loneliness is born to life,

speculation shares dreams ripened,

Tomorrow's prayer crawls off the page.

A touch of love and Heaven opens,

and--oh, for a touch of love!

--CJW--