Somewhere in the dark
recesses of my heart
I had hoped that when I
finally told you
I love you
you'd say you felt the same.

Sometimes--
we hope in vain.

I know you love me, and
your love is as strong as
the steel bars I place across my mouth
to hold back the words I know
you don't really want to hear;
as strong as a tree that has grown
wise beside the river
for a thousand years:
a tree whose limbs do not bear
the sweet fruit of
LOVE
but the bitter fruit of
INDIFFERENCE
with seeds of doubt so large
they choke me when I try to spit them out.
You tell me
"maybe someday"
but somehow
"someday" never comes.
How long must I wait before
my heart allows me to move on?
Forever
seems too long yet
I'd wait if I knew
that on my last day
you'd kiss me
with love in your mouth and
on your breath,
in your eyes and
beneath the flesh of your fingertips.

Sometimes--
we wait in vain.

This friendship I love so much,
this gentle heart I hold...
a love as true as the boldest rose,
whose thorns cut deep but
leave no trail of blood;
whose petals never fade, only
darken to a shade of red so
deep it is nearly black.
A love as old as time,
unmeasured by the passing of seasons;
something I've know so long
I can't remember
when it didn't exist.
I
love
you
bigger
than
the
sky.

Someimes--
we love in vain.