Dirty Little Secrets

take all my loves, my love,
take them all away,
i gave my soul
and loved in misery,
i gave what other lovers gave,
i gave what no one knows,
in the ritual of my office.

take all my loves, my love,
take them all away,
a mournful song
escapes from my lips,
in hoarse cries
of infinite tenderness,
this was my destiny.

take all my loves, my love,
take them all away,
until the pure, fine
form of virgin woman,
unruined by a single sweetness,
gazes into your eyes,
awaiting your first words.

a thousand words in every picture
tell the stories of the horrors of war
shock us with the truth
awe us with the inhumanity
the money gone, the damage done
and the gods know
camelot seems so far away

a thousand words in every picture
the ten thousand things contemplating
reality versus perception
truth versus hype
while a thousand mothers
bury their sons and daughters
while listening to “Taps”

such is the power of poesy,
the illusion of each day,
suffering in sleeplessness,
i sit here next to your silence…
watching you dream, i love you still,
even among these cold things,
in the earth of your soul.

the solitude that i occupy,
solitude crossed with memory and dream,
and with silence,
from the shadows another mirage beckons…
something far away and happy,
nostalgic voices singing in my soul,
a song that passes through our lives.

oh, if only i could write
the perfect poem for you,
darkness perforated,
your eyes have their own silence…
they caress the words i’ve arranged on the page,
i’d like to entice you with a joy i’ve never known,
i’d like to be all that you demand of me.