To Brenda

This is how it is between old lovers,
A peck upon the lips is all they need
Where once was youthful lust between bedcovers
(How closely youthful lust resembles greed);
This is how it is between old lovers,
Lifelong friends together holding hands,
Together there's a peace that they discover,
The kind old lovers truly understand;
This is how it is between old lovers,
Shopping with their grandchildren for toys
All that age has lost they now recover,
The jaded world returned to surprise
For this is how it is between old lovers,
Life reserves for them its greatest joys.

Gabriel Fitzmaurice was born in 1952 in Moyvane, Co Kerry, where he still lives. He has published more than 60 collections of poetry.