When the sun yawns its last farewell,
Lonely hearts plot their rendezvous;
Stay on the path that our dreams have blazed,
When darkness falls, I'll come to you

Silently, we'll greet each other,
For we must not disturb the moon;
He'll tell the sun of our escapade --
Dawn's light would end our tryst too soon

In our dreams love is gratified,
Its beauty totally revealed;
Even though distance prohibits touch,
Secret longings shall be unsealed

Though mutely we communicate,
My poet, my love, you know how
To weave your sweet words into a wreath,
Laying it gently upon my brow

And to your heart I'll render proof
Of the faithful love that you seek;
But I'll not disturb the silent night,
To touch your heart, I need not speak

And this night will bear witness to
A simple truth to which we're bound:
Our love transcends silence and distance,
All this confirmed ..... without a sound

False prophets never weary of their task,
Their stern warnings shrouding us in gloom:
"Implore God's mercy for your evil ways,
They're the cause of misery and doom"

But Life has always held suffering and pain,
Long before the term "sin" was defined;
Most of what we do is ingrained in us,
Meaning this is how we were designed

How could a creator not be aware
Of each imperfection, each defect?
Let us lay the blame right where it belongs:
On the shoulders of the Architect!

We steal, we hate, we **** for no reason,
And so we must don the judge's robe,
Enforcing our laws, rendering punishment .....
We're the stewards of this hapless globe

Fear's ponderous stone must be rolled away
Before your thoughts can exit the door
Of the prison that holds your mind hostage,
Granting it swift wings to leap and soar!

I've been in that tower, shackled to lies,
Anointed with the oil of deceit;
But Truth kept vigil with me all the while,
Waiting, curled in a ball at my feet

It cried "Unfold me, pick me up, hold me!
I'm the key that can unlock your mind,"
I heeded the voice, then ran from my cell,
Leaving fear and deceit far behind

Then I saw life for what it really is:
Random happiness and random grief,
We laugh, we cry, we suffer, then we die,
Only in love do we find relief

So don't preach to me of sin and God's wrath,
Such idle threats trouble me no more;
And to discourage future intruders,
I've hung "Do Not Disturb" on my door!

In a corner of my heart there dwells a pain
That thoughts of you awaken each day;
Purposely, I provoke it, then sigh in vain,
Knowing there will be a price to pay

In a corner of my heart there is a poem,
Born of each kiss and each solemn vow;
Loving you as I did they could fill a tome --
But poems your love inspired mock me now

What good is love if the happiness it brings
Turns into a pageantry of pain,
And the song of love the heart blissfully sings
Becomes parting's sorrowful refrain?

Without love, no comfort waits at end of day,
Just memories, unwilling to depart;
(Was it wrong to keep one flower from love's bouquet,
Hidden in a corner of my heart?)

In a corner of my heart my expressions
Of true and faithful love sit and cry;
Unable to absorb the transgressions
Your love brought, they're mute, without reply

So many tears have fallen, forging this chain
That won't permit memories  to depart;
And I can find no way to suppress the pain
Now filling each corner of my heart

Winter has settled in my garden,
Why did I not see the frost arrive?
Ashamed, I begged the flowers' pardon,
But the roses are barely alive

As I lift each flower, the petals fall
Upon the ground that once nurtured them;
Summer's calm became a wintry squall,
A chilling frost has weakened the stem

And now the ground is covered in ice,
The tender buds have withered and died;
For what purpose was their sacrifice?
Such loathsome things leave me mystified!

My heart has not shifted its season,
Steady in its clime it still remains,
Love's broken promise - the heart's treason -
Caused the killing frost and icy rains

Witnessing my joy and grief collide,
Swift-winged angels urged me to depart
This garden where once love had denied
Loneliness admittance to my heart

Why does the refulgent moon still crest
O'er that path where I first touched his face?
Where even Death would be deemed a guest
Were I to expire in Love's embrace

But to that garden I'll not return,
I've locked the gate and destroyed the key;
Time will quell my longings as they churn,
Time will heal this searing agony

Love has turned me bitter, though more wise,
Yet, the wisdom of love comes too late:
Each night, waiting for the moon to rise,
Darkness finds me standing at that gate

I walk rather slowly these days,
Without purposeful destiny,
No plane to catch, no train to board,
There's no one waiting for me

Time and I have severed our ties,
Now I roam unburdened and free;
No need to hurry home tonight,
No one's waiting there for me

Seasons still change, they come and go,
The tide's still carried out to sea,
Not much has changed at all, except ....
Now no one's waiting for me

I still talk to the moon at night,
But it's not like it used to be,
My tear-filled eyes reveal my plight:
I've no one waiting for me

It matters not when I get home,
Be it midnight, or half past three,
No one's concerned ..... did I mention .....
There's no one waiting for me

Believing in the God of Love,
Each night finds me on bended knee,
Wistfully glancing toward my bed ......
But no one's waiting for me

A sumptuous feast adorns the table
Of those lucky few whom love has found,
Their hunger for love more than satisfied
By a banquet leaving them spellbound

What rejoicing spills from starving hearts
When love's elixir is first tasted;
They feast with a voracious appetite --
Then beg more, with not a drop wasted

They walk the ripe orchards of passion
As the sweet fruits fall into their hand;
The bounty is one to be coveted,
The harvest is nothing short of grand

But the lonely hearts stare longingly
Into the forbidden dining hall,
Hiding in shadows, they scour the floor
For any sustenance that might fall

But all they find is bread and water,
And as the banquet hall's vacated,
The lonely linger, still searching for scraps,
Their hunger for love goes unsated

Cautiously they rush the cellar door,
Anticipating what they may find --
Most likely, just a bit of rotting fruit,
Blemished, with worm holes scarring the rind

But should this not be deemed a blessing?
Though it may be seen as meagre fare,
Is not a morsel of discarded love
Better than the cupboard that lays bare?

Bread and water found by the lonely
Is the banquet upon which they feast;
Ravenously they feed on scraps of love,
Like the bone flung to a starving beast

So bring your alms of bread and water,
Take pity on these wretched losers;
Though often they dream of a royal feast,
Beggars of love cannot be choosers

Loneliness, I need not speak a word
Yet you're aware of my wretched pain;
All through the night, your vigil you keep,
Hearing my heart call to Love, in vain;
Sensing my distress, you warn the dawn
To tap gently at my window pane

You know me so well -- my heart's a book
You've read many times, with empathy;
Steadfastly you watch, come rain or shine,
You stand at your post most faithfully;
I feel your presence in the darkness
When tears blind my eyes mercilessly

In a moment of false bravado,
I foolishly pushed you from my side
When I believed Love had come to stay --
A silly notion I now deride;
Somehow you knew not to stray too  far,
And when you returned, how we both cried!

Come, Loneliness, let's call it a night,
I'll discard these dreams, then we'll go home;
Once again we'll amble, side by side,
I have you ..... there's no reason to roam;
Tonight I'll raise my glass in a toast:
To you, friend, I dedicate this poem!