Rings of Us
Eyes resonate like fervent bells
Longing to shed these shotgun shells
Ever aching, perchance to see
Dreading still that passing dream
That vision that overcomes the night
A baneful masochistic blight
Bids a mind sway like bending wheat
Winds that better judgment beat
My love despite, you feed the beast
That stalks my thoughts and devours dreams
Those wisps of you that bid me sleep
But are no tie to you it seems
When you look at me (as you seldom do)
Fleeting like the morning dew
As with a looking glass you pierce right through
And the reflection shows what I mean to you
(Or, more importantly, what I don't)
And these embers dance in my hope-drought mind
Having known and held you close and dear
In true cliché I hold back these tears
Knowing what I am and am not after all these years
Will there be time like Prufrock said?
My learnéd psyche wont accredit truth
I hope that all these maybes I've lain
Will not shatter and scald my youth
Yes, there will be time indeed
To see those flaws in my forecast feed
To feel those splinters of the past
To laugh at what I thought could last
To weep at knowing what I have held
But could not keep with will or weld
To examine the remains of our once fruitful tree
And count the rings that represent you and me
There will be time
Time to spy, time to see
Arm and arm with hope and both of you leave
Time to be furious and time to grieve
To curse you twice and love you three
To writhe in pain at talk of us
To reach to you and grab at dust
To think of you and bleed in ink
To know you don't know, don't love, all with a wink
Of eyes that never turned to care
A heart that never rose to meet me there
Longing to shed these shotgun shells
Ever aching, perchance to see
Dreading still that passing dream
That vision that overcomes the night
A baneful masochistic blight
Bids a mind sway like bending wheat
Winds that better judgment beat
My love despite, you feed the beast
That stalks my thoughts and devours dreams
Those wisps of you that bid me sleep
But are no tie to you it seems
When you look at me (as you seldom do)
Fleeting like the morning dew
As with a looking glass you pierce right through
And the reflection shows what I mean to you
(Or, more importantly, what I don't)
And these embers dance in my hope-drought mind
Having known and held you close and dear
In true cliché I hold back these tears
Knowing what I am and am not after all these years
Will there be time like Prufrock said?
My learnéd psyche wont accredit truth
I hope that all these maybes I've lain
Will not shatter and scald my youth
Yes, there will be time indeed
To see those flaws in my forecast feed
To feel those splinters of the past
To laugh at what I thought could last
To weep at knowing what I have held
But could not keep with will or weld
To examine the remains of our once fruitful tree
And count the rings that represent you and me
There will be time
Time to spy, time to see
Arm and arm with hope and both of you leave
Time to be furious and time to grieve
To curse you twice and love you three
To writhe in pain at talk of us
To reach to you and grab at dust
To think of you and bleed in ink
To know you don't know, don't love, all with a wink
Of eyes that never turned to care
A heart that never rose to meet me there