Morena Poem by Juan Olivarez

Lost in each other's arms
Star gazing in the early morning
Lying on a blanket,
On the third floor.
Watching the pale flowers
Of the giant cereus
Coming open before the dawn
Over the south wall.
We were so happy, weren't we morena?
The early morning mist or fog
Slowly creeping over the edges
Of the Cordel.
Breathless you asked me
"Is my nose red? "
I laughed
But I knew, even then
That you'd never stay
Even then I knew, that my love
Could never hold you.
Even then I knew, that our paths
Though they would cross a million times
Would never be the same.
And now, just last week
We said our final goodbyes
Just a drop in an endless sea of people
Who thought they loved you, as I did
And still do
Just one face, in a sea of faces
But I had no more tears
For My eyes went dry long ago
But not my heart
I once told you, my morena
That I could never forget you
That you would reside in my heart forever
And now
Almost fifty years later
The ache in my chest
Swears to me
That I was right.
Adios amor.