If we are lucky and live long enough,
one day quite by accident
the great consolation appears.
And although it cannot heal
the scars of our past loves
or help us to forget the last tear
racing down a dying father’s cheek,
the great consolation suddenly
overturns everything we were so sure
was finally settled in our lives.
And for a brief interlude,
before our bodies betray us,
stunned, we discover again,
although utterly transformed,
the exact desires we cherished
and were certain had vanished forever
from our wasted lives.