Such love I cannot analyse;

It does not rest in lips or eyes,

Neither in kisses nor caress.

Partly, I know, it’s gentleness

And understanding in one word

Or in brief letters. It’s preserved

By trust and by respect and awe,

These are the words I’m feeling for.

Two people, yes, two lasting friends.

The giving comes, the taking ends.

There is no measure for such things.

For this all Nature slows and sings.

Elizabeth Jennings (1926- ), ‘Friendship; Identity’, 1987.