A Spiritual Courtship: The Lover Speaks Poem by Daniel Brick

There must be a thousand homecomings
before we can say to each other, "I love you."
We must exercise a superb patience,
and wait for all the signs to be fulfilled.
First, the noonday sun must shine
into the forest's west side and dispel all shadows.
A spring harvest must exceed all expectations.


Twelve deer, both male and female, must leave
the woods, and eat apple slices from the palms
of our hands Two eagles, perched high above,
must flap their wings a dozen times, then fly
in tandem around the forest's circumference
before flying away on a northerly trajectory.
The rain that falls just after dawn must smell
as sweet as honey, and nocturnal rainfall must
hover over your sleep. These signs are
only the beginning... A blind man must find
his way to your house and you must serve him
freshly baked bread. And a deaf woman must tell me
in sign language that in her sleep she hears
the music of Mahler. A teenage girl must find
her derelict father and persuade him to return
to the family circle. A woman and a man who have
both betrayed their vows must each morning must
ask for the other's forgiveness until a New Love
raises their lives to a higher union. And then
on an ordinary morning or on an evening as quiet
as the prayers of the redeemed, we will become
aware of an angel casually leaning against a simple
maple tree, and we will know we have achieved
our final homecoming....
























both betrayed their vows must every morning seek
the other's forgiveness until A New Life raises
their love to a higher union. And on an ordinary morning,
or on an evening as quiet as the prayers of the redeemed,
we will become aware of an angel casually leaning
against a simple maple tree, and we will know
we have achieved the last homecoming....