unexpected ecstasy

I sat once
in a sunlit patch of wild strawberries.
They were delicate and red and perfectly ripe,
here I was in the middle,
nibbling on the most succulent fruit
that I can remember.
Bathed in the sunshine,
intoxicated
in the utter loveliness of the moment.
So satisfying, this, to a hunger
which I never knew existed.
I sighed deeply,
and I tasted their deliciousness for a time,
but never since.
Ecstasy in a moment of life's passing.

And so, with you,
as I sit in your sunlit field
sated and content.
I marvel at this delicacy
of scent and taste
satisfying a hunger
which I never knew existed.
So succulent this fruit,
so utterly lovely this space of time,
I can but sigh.
And I taste your deliciousness for a time
with little surety of knowing this again.
Ecstasy in a moment of life's passing.

Until the season of harvest
brings me new into your field,
be well,
my sweet friend.

Beth McCarthy Marks
1990