The Gentle Waking
The rosy dawn creeps soft across the sill,
To kiss the linen where thy form doth rest;
The house is steeped in silence, calm and still,
A sanctuary safe, by shadows blest.
I watch thee slumber in the morning light,
With tangled tresses on the pillow spread;
A vision pure that banishes the night,
While golden halos dance around thy head.
The fragrant steam of coffee fills the air,
A dark perfume to greet the rising day;
No jeweled crown could ever be so fair,
As this sweet peace that drives the world away.
Thy eyelids flutter, opening to the sun,
And in that gaze, both simple and divine,
I know my journey has but just begun,
For all of heaven in this room is mine.
This piece reflects upon the Victorian ideal of the ‘domestic sublime,’ suggesting that the quietest moments often hold the loudest truths of the heart. It serves as a reminder that intimacy is best forged in the unguarded moments of the early day.
