Let’s Start Small, My Darling…
Poetry by Christopher Gudgeon
Let’s start small, like elephants,
who never pass second base
on a first date.
We have whole lives ahead
of us, my darling, let’s pace
ourselves, measure
love out a teaspoon at a
time, ration it like water
on a lifeboat.
Don’t expect too much from that
first kiss, but hold on, other
kisses will come
in time, or not; we have just
this moment, expectation
will smother this
moment as surely as our
memories will carve it in soap,
the contemplation
of these two hearts as one—that’s
for children, old women and
elephants. We
must be harder on ourselves,
start small, because great love stands
on tiny feet.