Set Him as a Seal
“I give myself more to my friend than draw
Him to me”—so says old Montaigne, but long
Years after Étienne had died. The flaw
Is pretty obvious, right? “Love is strong
As death,” another wise man’s song insists,
But are we all convinced? He’s in the tomb
For Christ’s sake! The stench of death persists
No matter how much incense and perfume
We waft around. You can’t exhume the man
To life, embrace him living in your arms.
This isn’t Tinker Bell and Peter Pan,
Or children believing in fairy charms!
“Mais oui,” Michel says, “I have him best.
I have his goldsmith’s hallmark on my chest.”