On a summer evening when the stars grow faint with heat,
When the air is so heavy, it sticks like a shroud
When the scent of jasmine lingers and floats about,
A weary Traveler passed through town on his way to Elsewhere.
He gazed into her eyes and his heart skipped a beat.
“Could she be”, he thought, “the companion to my soul?
Could she be the one who saves me from myself?”

“Could he be,” she wondered “the one man for me?
In his face I see sadness… but his voice is sweet.
He could show me the trails that I long to walk.
I will erase his sorrow and he will hold me safe.
How could I not love the tilt of his chin and his easy smile?”

From a distance I saw them
Confer in earnest, speak in whispers,
Heads leaning, hearts reaching
Hands touching as if by chance
Like willow branches in the wind.

The maiden’s father was displeased.
Her mother was sad and afraid.
“She is still a child”, she pleaded,
“It’s too soon, too soon.”

“I will give you time”, said the Traveler
“I am from Texas and a Wanderer,
There are many roads I want to explore
Oceans to cross, horses to ride, pathways to find…
Speak of it no more.”

I heard their shadows sigh,
Melt in each other in the afternoon light;
Barely the flutter of a kiss and a moan
Drawn on the ground (or did I dream it?).
He ached to hold her and stroke her hair,
For yet one moment to drown in her eyes,
But he said:
“Querida, I leave now and give you freedom.”