Even the long-beloved

was once an unrecognized stranger.

Just so, the chipped lip of a blue-glazed cup,

blown field of a yellow curtain,

might also,

flooding and falling,

ruin your heart.

A table painted with roses.

An empty clothesline.

Each time,

the found world surprises –

that is its nature.

And then

what is said by all lovers:

“What fools we were, not to have seen.”

Jane Hirshfield, Meeting the Light Completely