Dionysus at Brookgreen

If I could stand forever
in an avenue of green, surrounded
by eternal beauty, with a golden
panther at my gilded feet and ivy
on my brow, I would consider giving up
this flesh and blood for such perfection.

On second thought, however, don’t I
wish to hold on to this body
that contains the possibility
of loving you once more, even
in the face of its—and our—own dying?