Kate has left the wedding. Caroline stares at the dance floor contemplating the consequences of her loss.
FOREVER
She's gone.
Left over an hour ago.
Why not?
I'm here alone
With my burgeoning thoughts,
My pain,
My futile desires.
ooOoo
My heart craves her.
My mind needs her.
My soul yearns for her,
Wants to be with her
Wrapped in her kindness,
Fed by her love.
ooOoo
I want to show her
That I can give
As well as take.
But I can't.
I've blown it.
Forced her away
To ease my own discomfort and doubts
From the judging eyes
And the treasonous tongues.
ooOoo
Desperately my senses try to recall
The consoling touch of her hand
On my cheek,
The warmth of her lips
On my undeserving mouth,
The heat of her passion
On my shuddering, naked body.
ooOoo
But no sooner do I remember
Than the agony of those memories,
For that is all they are…
That's all I have left…
Drive me to forget
Lest I die a bit more inside.
ooOoo
Something draws me
From my thoughts,
An aura, a presence.
She stands before me,
Her hand outstretched
Towards me.
ooOoo
An ephemeral vision perhaps,
Conjured by my desperate desires
To lure me from my darkness
And then cruelly disappear?
But then I hear her words reach out to me,
The question asked,
The challenge laid out.
"Do I want to dance?"
ooOoo
Of course I want to dance.
I want to sing,
I want to cry with joy
But my heart,
Soaked with grief
And pain
Slows me,
Cautions me.
I need to know
Is this for ever?
ooOoo
She answers with a quip
And the faint essence of a smile on her lips.
She leads.
I follow.
ooOoo
Weary of all the hurt,
Tired of all the worry,
I will dance with her
Under the scrutiny
Of all who are present,
Caring nothing for their embarrassed glances
And their chiding words.
ooOoo
Her ethereal presence
Envelops me.
As she draws me in
Her nearness dissipates my sadness,
My melancholy,
My misery.
ooOoo
Her tender touch
A balm to my bruised and battered being.
Her loving kiss
A salve that heals my soul
And inflames my longing,
Pouring life back into my aching heart.
ooOoo
Dust to dust
My fear.
Ashes to ashes
My cowardice.
This love too precious to lose.
