I was afraid to get close to you,
Fearing the allure of your arms,
Afraid I'd succumb too readily,
Unable to resist your charms

I was afraid that your kiss might hold
A thrill I could never forget,
Afraid my loving you would become
A choice I would live to regret

I was afraid you might be the man
I could easily come to adore,
Afraid you'd beguile me with your love,
And then leave me begging for more

I was afraid you would steal my heart
With your flowery words and rhyme,
Then flippantly cast it asunder
To be lost to the winds of time

Then I thought perhaps I feared too much,
So I granted Love its rightful due;
Love repaid me . . . with tears and regret --
For all of my fears have come true

Love's sentinel faithfully watches
From his balcony in the sky;
He fixates his light on lovers each night ---
O, what joy when two hearts comply!

But tonight the moon agonizes
Upon hearing heart-wrenching cries,
And as his light spills across darkened hills,
Daunting fears cloud his searching eyes

North and south his silver rays scatter
In search of the mournful lovers;
Fearful and distressed he looks east, then west,
Then gasps at what he discovers

A woman laments love's deception
(Too grim even for mortal ears)
And not far away, a man kneels to pray,
Begging pardon for causing her tears

O, careless moon, were you neglectful?
He succumbed to another's charms!
Was he led astray while you looked away?
O please, guide him back to her arms

Though the pain of betrayal is brutal,
Forgiveness lends its healing power
To the one who strayed . . . . while the heart betrayed
Bears the anguish of Love's darkest hour

You say "Let's escape the cares of life,
And together we'll do wondrous things;
Dream along with me . . . what partners we'll be,
Wild and unrestrained, we'll spread our wings"

I say "I'll be daring, not foolish,
We musn't fly too close to the sun;
From Icarus I learned we could get burned,
For some things just shouldn't be done"

When you say you'll take me to heaven,
You mean sky-diving?  O . . . how exciting . . .
Sounds a bit manic, may cause some panic,
And maybe a bit of nail biting

What? Now deep-sea diving sounds thrilling?
Do you mean down to the ocean floor?
What a suggestion!  I have a question:
Have you ever done this before?

Now you're beginning to frighten me,
Isn't it time we both thought this through?
I'm not a coward, but I'm being devoured
By doubt, so here's what we could do:

We could climb that hill and count the stars --
A world of wonders awaits us above;
Or . . .  since it's so late, let's end this debate . . .
Why don't we stay home and make love!

Another day has furled its wings,
Another sun has set,
Another nightbird lilts and sings . . .
Now comes the hour of regret

Now comes the pain of loneliness,
Now comes the dread of night,
Now comes the  gloom of hopelessness
Without Love's glorious light  

Without Love's star to guide my way,
Without Love's ecstasy,
Without Love's  bliss to fill my day
I'm bound by Fate's decree

I'm bound by endless misery,
I'm bound by drear surrounds,
I'm bound by the cruel certainty
That anguish knows no bounds

Standing at the footbridge I kept watch each night,
My lantern raised high, casting its brilliant light;
I helped him pass safely, one side to the other,
Then watched as he ran to the arms of another

Now my lantern is cold, no flames burning bright,
No more do I search for those lost in the night;
Next to the hearth, on pillows strewn o'er the floor,
I sip wine with wanderers who knock at my door

Many were the hours my head was bowed,
Supplicating mindless deities;
(With what foolish thoughts man is endowed!
But  . . . we pick and choose our liberties)

Then I had a most disturbing dream . . .
I saw mountains of unanswered prayer,
Mankind's tears formed an eternal stream,
While the dust of dead gods filled the air

And amidst this turmoil and malaise
Stood the ruins of an empty throne
Where the ghosts of Folly sang their praise,
Paying homage to the Great Unknown

In a state of panic I awoke --
Was this vision my epiphany?
Perhaps Truth dons a deceitful cloak
To disguise the barbs of Reality?

Countless times these hands have clasped in prayer,
And to each prayer futile hope was pinned . . .
An imagined throne with no one there . . .
Endless litanies  . . . lost to the wind!

Yet, Hope's chrism courses through our veins
Every time we utter useless prayers;
If only all those passionate refrains
Were acknowledged by someone who cares!

Will you dare to heed this clarion call?
Ease the heart of someone in despair!
Kindly acts - although they may be small,
Just might be the answer to a prayer

A seed of love that never found
The hallowed path to fertile ground;
The fruitless tree, the orchard bare . . .
Although unseen, the pain is there

How sad the heart that stokes the bed
Of ashes from a love long dead;
Futile hope that a spark might flare . . .
How great the pain that's dwelling there

An outstretched hand that no one holds
As night's obsidian cloak unfolds;
Whispered low, a desperate prayer,
But no response . . . the pain's still there

As the tide leaves, you'll hear the shore
Cry out "O, please, come back once more!'
Desolation's so hard to bear . . .
Barren and bleak, yet pain thrives there

The widowed sparrow mourns her mate --
Brief happiness, betrayed by Fate;
A nest designed with tender care,
But not abandoned -- pain lives there

The loneliness of passing years
No longer prompts my wasted tears;
Too late we learn life is unfair,
Yet all the while, the pain is there