I could gauge beauty by a look
by camera's eye or my orb
seeking the surface that dictates
loveliness lying beneath the face

this would be fraught, a fool's errand
if confusion with 'pretty' is at stake
one for the other, not the same
still I may struggle in crave's grip

attraction may call to my heart
pull at the strings confused with love
adoration tainted by a thirst
to possess what I've observed

I'm at that mercy of base urges
sadly this is lust's betrayal
recognized for longing’s greed
passion begging for due recourse

yet even then I hear a voice
perhaps it's an angel the shoulder
warning me from a fallen path
even as glamor struts about

'stand down good sir, that is wrong
a fondness for looks is not the same
as beauty insured by loving's gift
so much better than just good looks’.

© 2017. Sean Green. All Rights Reserved. 20171030.