Placed him gently at my feet--
Maimed and wounded, scarred and suffering.
God in Heaven! Could I meet
All the need for love and solace
In those haunted eyes--that face?
With a cry I held him to me
Sheltered in my heart's embrace.
I could feel his wild heart beating,
Clinging to my very soul.
Looking then I saw but beauty,
For love's alchemy makes whole.
Montana Poetry Quarterly
