Ask, if you will, for my hand to hold
As the day withdraws its golden light;
And no, I will not think you too bold
Should you ask me to stay through the night

If it is a song you need to hear
To help put your restless mind at ease,
I shall place my lips close to your ear
And hum softly in angelic keys

When seeds of despair become full blown,
Together you and I will tame them;
My strength and loyalty are yours to own --
You need only reach out to claim them

I would let my blood course through your veins,
And my breath in your chest rise and fall;
Any strategy that yet remains
Shall be rendered at your beck and call

Love spares nothing, but must give the whole
Of its being to impart its sweet bliss;    
So my heart, my life, my very soul
Are yours . . . but I'll give no more than this!

The time had come to shed this loathsome cloak
Of life's failures, defeats and decay;
I knew, without further contemplation,
I had to give the wretched thing away

How appealing the oyster's existence --
Safely sheltered in its little shell;
And when life sends its messengers of doom,
He can just tell them to go to hell

You may think me crazy, but that's okay,  
I had to retreat behind these doors;  
If I had not created my own world,  
Long ago I would have died in yours

My tears greet each unwelcome day,
Blurring the sun's first golden ray.
While dead dreams submit to decay,
Hopelessness binds my heart like a glove.
And you bear the blame, capricious Love!

At times you draw near just to tease,
Torturing me by slow degrees,
Leaving my poor heart ill at ease,
Till tears are all I'm capable of.
What anguish you cause me, shameless Love!

You take delight, or so it seems,
Shattering my most precious dreams,
Leaving me to wade sorrow's streams.
Never will you soar with the pure dove ---
Tarnished are your wings, deceitful Love!

Fickle Love,  God's laws you defile
With your demons of falsehood and guile;
Send those cursed flaws into exile!
Grant all lovers what their hearts dream of:
Your cherished counterpart . . . sincere Love

When loneliness whispers too loud,
And despair wraps me in its shroud,
With folded hands and my head bowed
It is then I plead with Heav'n above:
Teach me the words that summon true Love!

Yet, when Love's disguised as a lie,
Who'll dare to renounce it?  Not I!
I'll press on with hope and a sigh,
Giving doubt and common sense a shove.
For Love in all its facets is still Love!

Throughout the years friends have been few,
(But when loyal, one friend will do;)
I never got close enough to make foes,
'I kept my distance' - as the saying goes

No birds, cats or dogs live in my house,
And I hesitate to count that mouse
That I've seen scampering down the hall.
(How dare he breach my castle wall!)
I fear he soon will  have a mishap . . .
Morning will find him dead in the trap.

But what resentment swells inside me
Thinking of all that's been denied me:
True love, contentment, happiness,
A hand to hold, a warm caress,
The passion with which I long to be kissed . . .
Alas! I've none of these treasures to list.
Such poverty I'm ashamed to declare,
My heart is starving . . . the cupboard is bare

Well, I guess my inventory's complete,
A grim tally, more sorrowful than sweet;
Ah, but then what right have I to complain?
I've a vast surplus of sorrow and pain,
A broken heart and buckets filled with tears . . .
What a stockpile I've amassed o'er the years!

But if Fate could rewrite my Book of Days
Changing these tears to laughter and bouquets,
This dreary house, haunted by lonely hours
Would be a dwelling filled with mirth and flowers

Love, please come find me, there's no time to waste,  
Heed the clock! It's chiming eleven ---  
Scarcely time to savor but one last taste  
Of the Sweet Elixir of Heaven  

Though Autumn's love would be no less sublime
Than the rapture Spring's love can command,
As Life's hourglass marks the passage of time,
I'm panicked by the fast-falling sand!

No longer can pace be arbitrary . . .
Hope's river will soon begin to freeze;
Hurry Love, do your best not to tarry,
If need be, crawl on your hands and knees!

Faintly I hear your song in the distance --
Your divine nocturne seducing me,
And I, in my desolate existence,
Can no longer abide patiently

Winter stands ready to enter the gate,
Reminding me of Life's shortening days;
Come light the flame, Love,  before it's too late,
Lest my tears of despair douse the blaze

Soon Death will scribe my name upon his scroll.
The sun is setting . . .  let us make haste;
No longer can you and I leisurely stroll.
Come quickly, Love, we've no time to waste!

Being alone,  I stare at the sky,
Wishing its laws were mine to command;
I would dim the moon's refulgent light --
Might that help Heaven to understand?

Just as the moon's radiance would be missed
If it were abducted from its realm,
So my ship sails with no guiding light --
Too long I've stood alone at the helm

Would the dreary woodland not rejoice
Hearing the song of one faithful bird?
Yet, alone I trudge down Life's harsh path,
Deprived of Love's reassuring word

Being alone, I find no reason
To greet the dawning day with a smile;
I see no sense in praying for strength
To carry my cross another mile

Being alone, I cannot believe
There's a God who feels pity for me;
Without Love's light my ship navigates
In the darkness . . .  and I'm lost at sea

And if it's a sin to renounce faith
In a God who cares,  then cast your stone!
No form of chastisement could be worse
Than this bitter pain of being alone

Are you still recalling that dispute
You had days ago with a loved one?
It's time unkind words were rendered mute,
Lay them in their grave -- what's done is done

What anguish a quarrel can dispense!
A snide remark, then a **** reply;
Do those hurtful words still cause offense?
Bind them to swift wings and let them fly

Time alone cannot heal broken hearts
Or bring comfort to a shattered soul;
Gently gather all the broken parts,
Mend them with Love's threads to make them whole

Focus on the things that make you smile ---
Words and deeds that make happiness flow.
When bitter thoughts taunt you with their guile
Toss them to the wind and let them go!