Bliss

What a pretty thing is bliss
A petty trifle we might get
From a kiss
Or even a smile-
Some word will beguile
From our hearts
That one fragile moment
Of contented enchantment.

I take it - that bliss -
That one stolen kiss,
And thank you;
I twine it into my hair
Along with a sprig of jasmine
I steal from a branch
Overhanging a walled garden
I pass everyday.

I will take it with me
And I will spend this long day
Crowned with that bliss,
The fragile enchantment of
One tender kiss.

Manuela Cardiga