Past Perfect, Present Tense

Past perfect, present tense
Safety and danger, both so near
to touch, to see, to sense--

A step back, away--a defense.
Lie low until the storm relents.
The past is present, the present tense.

I wait, in irons of suspense.
Open the present, the moment so dear--
past present, present tense.

Can I give without recompense?
It's a charmed light when comets reappear--
to touch, to seek, to sense.

Lying, like cats in the sun, content
in the silent bond that I revere--
to touch, to seek, to sense.

Will we live only in words we hold dear?
Words are ways which have their ends.
The past is present, present tense--
to touch, to seek, to sense.