Chase

I hear her footsteps

Close behind me

As I run breathless

Across the soft forest floor

She is the faster runner

And I knew she will soon overtake me

And she does

Catching me around the waist

And sending us both

to the ground

In a tangle of

slender young limbs

She steals a kiss

Swiftly and gently

Then she is on her feet

Darting away from me

Playful laughter

Trailing behind her

I scramble to my feet

And purse

She knows

I am not swift enough

To catch her

So she runs slow enough

To stay in my sight

As I begin to tire

She lets me catch her

And I grab hold of her arm

She turns

And we are locked in an embrace

Sharing a kiss

We fall into

A soft blanket of fallen leaves

And make love

In the fading sunlight

As we lay in the warm afterglow

I whisper poetry to her

And she pulls close to me

As we rest in each other's arms

The cool night descends

Sleep carries her off

Into another realm

And I soon follow her

Leaving only the distant stars

In the velvet sky

To bear witness

To what they have seen