I have a secret,
don’t tell it to the others.

For the longest time,
it’s been kept to myself.

If you listen close,
you must listen with your heart.

This is not gossip;
it’s deep, but in no way dark.

Will you listen,
and promise to keep silent?

Make a promise,
and never break this pact.

—

I miss him,
despite his carelessness.

I miss him,
despite my cold silence.

I miss him,
and the times we shared.

I miss him,
with all my heart and soul.

I miss him,
but his lack of respect for me.

It's torn me apart;
brought me to my weakest misery.

When desperate,
I’ve gone to him seeking help.

When I loved her,
it was a joke to him.

And when she left,
he didn’t understand.

I wanted to die,
and he called my suffering weakness.

So I lied,
but I still burned inside.

And I cried alone,
While on the outside nothing was wrong.

While inside,
I slowly fell apart.

—

If only once,
he could understand me.

For once,
and say something real to me.

I would be happy again.

The fire burns,
and then burns out,
and never burns again.

The heart loves,
and then is broken,
and never loves again.

The eyes open,
and then they close,
and never open again.

So enjoy the fire’s warmth,
rather than curse its darkened smoke;
and the heart’s passionate beat,
in spite of the loss you feel;
and the eyes’ beautiful sights,
even through the tears they waste.

Fuel the flames!
Love with passion!
See it all!

Because one day, it will all be gone;
Your fire will die,
Your heart will lie still,
and your eyes — close they will.

Just ten minutes after I'd revved the engine
I was only nine miles away from the love of my life
Day dreaming of when we’d met just eight short months ago
Soaring at seventy down that country road
Only six more miles until she’d be in my arms again
Five years ago thoughts of love would have seemed so far out of sight
Yet four times I've already proposed, “too soon,” she’d always say
Amazing how in three seconds your entire life can change
With just two tires there’s little room for error
When one blew out I hit the asphalt, hard
In a wreck like that there’s zero chance I’d survive
One hour later the ambulance arrived at last
EMTs pressed two paddles against my chest
Shocks were delivered three times
At the hospital doctors performed four operations
Five months I spent in a coma
Followed by six months of physical therapy relearning to walk
In time all seventeen broken bones had set and healed
It cost me eight grand to buy a new bike
Now nine years later I’m still riding, fearless, wife on the back
The tenth time I asked, she finally said yes