once
the beautiful people were gold to our eyes
sunset shone from bronze soft candy skin
while opals stared heart-wrenching desire
they breathed passion like fire to consume
it was invulnerability wrapped in youth

but
the beauty was a shattered shell hiding life
while love became grey and weathered
permanent in wisdom like Word worn rock
this real treasure worth the breath of God
came forth with the stretching days
for old age is but cocoon for eternity

love and soul ride in corruptability
till the day when the priceless inside
is pearl pulled from oyster’s greedy grasp
and all that is in is out where it’s meant