When We Were All Our World

When we first met, and touched,
We fucked like quail in the springtime,
Holding each other, lost in the heady scent of youth
Oh, I loved you!
Lost in your touch, kisses sweet and tender, kisses fiery,
Nothing else then in all the world!

You showed me tenderness
You showed me your knickers
You showed me your secret places and welcomed me in
Oh, I loved you
Lost in the music of a Sunday afternoon
I thought myself king of the world!

Then you took away all that
Made me grow up, and be responsible, and study
Because I had a career to think of and youth won't last
And I missed you
Lost in books and labs and exams
Where I once was king of the world

And yet, you called.
Birthdays, and Christmas, and the milestones of the calendar
Somehow you remembered, and you stayed in my life
And I wondered
Lost in failed relationships and medication
Had I been king of the world?

You came, looking for a safe place
Somewhere you could start over, somewhere they wouldn't hurt you
And this time I could give it to you
Could you love me?
Lost and looking for somewhere to raise your child
Did I really know the world?

And you grew, blossoming
And you claimed the place in my life that had always been yours
And my wife and my friends welcomed you
Because you'd loved me
Lost, you had left me a trail of breadcrumbs
And helped me understand the world

And you made me look again
That photo of you in the summery dress, slender shoulders that carry so much
Made me see the girl, the lover, the friend, the woman
Made me love you once again
Lost in memories, remembering sunny afternoons and picnics by the sea
Gave me another glimpse of a world

And you let me take another photo
One you wouldn't let me have back then, on those sunny afternoons
And you flashed me, dark eyes bright with devilment
You made me smile
Lost? No! That picture is kept safe. I look at it sometimes, to remind me
There's lots of room in the world

Bent over books together,
Careful of prying eyes and twitching curtains and disapproval
Feeling you beside me when you said to me
Your mouth remembered...
Joy it was to learn that you, too, thought kindly of those giddy days
When you felt queen of the world

We're not old yet,
But we're not free to fuck like quail in the spring
And there are people counting on us to be there when they need us
Still, we love
Nothing's lost - and that's enough, for we remember
When we were all our world