Auntie

With no idea of time
Her revelry was unsurpassed
In the imperial glaze
Of winter afternoons

She ought not feel defeated
For exuberance would rise –
With smiles drawn –
To faces of a child

Their love of timeless energy
Would deem all else inferior
To a cloistered sense of wisdom
And frivolity writ large

Her written words spoke louder
Than any voice could do –
Her avenues of knowledge
Were so prodigal a thrill

They spoke of jasmine
In the summer-time
And nature borne to thrive
With charm enriching every day
Until

The grave rebuke of mortality
Knocked upon her door
And devoted nieces said;
Shine – embark – smoulder –
Pray – for more