Of Symbols

Flags are a common symbol;
Outer brightness speaking
For an inner warmth:
The country of the heart—
The homeland.
When I come home
I will look from the dropping plane
To see the mat of green
Turn into soft green fur
Of the healthy thick-haired earth.
When I ride the ruts in the jeep
The grass will show even taller,
Head-high on my right hand,
An emerald flag attached 
To the brown stick of road,
Undulating under
The large movement of wind;

Till we enter the gate at last
And the welcoming green gives place
To that other flag of your face,
With its fabric, greyed and tanned
By weather, long well-known;
And, in the speaking symbol
Flying beside my own,
Love’s boundless land.