Prelude to An Opus

If I could tell you, my love,

Believe me I'd try,

But there are no words for me to use

Or I'd shout it to the world

From the top of the highest mountain,

There are no melodies beautiful enough

Or I'd play the notes with the sea

Crashing and singing from its depths.

If I could tell you, my love,

Believe me I would,

So content yourself with the tales I weave

And the music I play,

And the songs I sing.

You are the center, the whole,

The beginning and the end,

The neverending being

That lives and breathes

From each night into each dawn

Inside of me.

If I could tell you, my love,

Believe me, I would,

But I can't--

So I offer you all I have

In these meager lines

And hope you have some small inkling

Of what lies behind them.

~Stephanie Swofford