The young don’t anticipate
    the taste of fresh bread;
    or the shape it takes
    in the long hour of rising.
    They don’t stop to inhale the promise
    or the warm presence of comfort.

    So preoccupied with minutes, 
    the young don’t notice
    the passing of years
    for when years have passed,  
    the young are gone
    from all but that protected place;

    Your heart 
    is a safe harbour
    for all that we might be.
    A place of belief,    
    of trust in us.
    A place where we are always 
    young enough.

    You don’t count minutes
    or the years going by.
    You always have more warmth,
    and more time.
    So that no matter our setbacks,
    we will rise.
    Never diminished,
    we will rise.

    So absorbed in the moment,
    the young don’t notice
    the rainfall outside,
    and when years have passed
    the rain will have dried
    but our youth is preserved;

    Your heart 
    was a safe harbour
    for all we might be.
    A place of belief, 
    of trust in us.
    A place where we were always 
    young enough.

    So we’ll cherish the minutes
    and the years of your life,
    by being everything that we were
    in your eyes.
    We will fulfil
    your unconditional pride,
    and thanks to your love,
    we will rise.

                                    Louise Fellows