Vanished Lover Poem by Barry Middleton

a fateful shadow haunts the night
within my restless sleep
your vanished spirit still remains
in memories that I keep

for I would not forget your kiss
or passions of the spring
when we were young invincibles
and love was everything

in afterglow we are the same
beyond the curse of age
much like a book I set aside
before the final page

for you are beautiful as dawn
and secrets of the night
in visions where I hold you close
as souls again unite

a vanished love may never end
or so it often seems
for you are here beside me now
if only in my dreams