Not Just Too Short

brazen red breast of robin
in the gray cold of January.
hoar frost reaching east
on every inch
of life.
joy that comes with choosing
to leave it, leave it all behind.
lay down burdens, give up ghosts, choose
an alter of light.
not just too short,
moonlight
on a mountain slope
owls
hooting in the dark
birds at dawn, and my Love's stubbled cheek
at night
it is song--oh joy! it is dance
and to give
up the idea of a weary world.
not just too short
too unlived
too shallow.
be a scuba diver of life
go deep at slack tide
see the wonders hidden
from our eyes and open
to our hearts