here’s the damnedest thing about “hopeless romantics”:

they’ll splinter their own bones into kindling
to build the fire that warms you,
as if putting a match to their insides
might cauterize the wounds
left behind by the greedy lovers and too-rough hands
that set their hearts to bleeding in the first place

you see, the poets spared no pains when they dubbed
the especially romantic “the hopeless”

they are hopelessly betrothed to the warfare,
the burning insanity
of a soul madly in love with love—
the way the heart rages against the brain.

Ten years in a fenced cage under the Nile
restrained from the dense of the fish
raided in eventful motions and constraints*
disused from the beautiful living existence
miles of glories and hails of mysteries
the waters swallowed and the hollows
borrowed cries and ails of gloomy sails
green flashes, trances minced and hissed
transpiring the intuitive caskets of energy
the fanning rotor roared harder and wider
further down beyond the extension of being
colluding, protruding deeper and within
cutting lateral slices of time and space
matting the unknown on disused walls
where illegible and delible oaths lays
hidden on rocks and cracks by crooks
As we sat invisible, affixed... telling tales
*Ten years now unfenced, flying over the Nile

Dark and dangerous damsels all!
Harken my heed to The Hall!
There you'll find your broken man
Once so steady, word in hand
Chivalrous intentions still persist,
Would-be lovers yet insist
Hear this claim throughout the land
Heartbreak has made its final stand.

First kiss lies you put upon
His love-struck desire openly drawn
Clever whispers, tokens of deceit
Offer false promise, a life complete
Should he ever since true love find
Stoic, honorable, warm and kind
Instead a woman forging frozen heat
Herself all others she doeth cheat.

Your truths belie deceptive folly
Words disgrace values melancholy
The plays and acts of your selfish charm
Cannot try dissuade his sharp alarm
You’ve duly sung your siren's song
He’s awakened thus! And leaped headlong
No halting now from hero’s harm
His pain, eternal efforts to disarm.

Heroes have reached long for your heart
Gentry ambitions caused noble start
Lady Deception has lain her claws
Directly tearing virtuous cause
She cannot help herself, it seems
Her temperamental manner schemes
The love inside must surely die
From both the suitor and her lie
Nothing left save bitter dreams
O’ hollow silent endless screams.


Heroes die many of macabre accord
Falling upon their daunted sword
Worthless promise she has vowed
Nothing more than Vesta's shroud
Young men’s promise to hold true
Has been destroyed, Alas! By the few
Tarts and trollops plague the crowd
Harsh lessons ‘ere romance once proud

True love’s cunning and deceitful face
Condemned Sampson rout the Temple place!
By serpent’s tongue she doth speak
Where only true love he doth seek
Ill-mannered maids feign mystery
While decent men test history
Release me from thy maiden's bane
And surrender myself, devoted, again
To summit true love's crowning  peak
No folly left,
Mine heart is weak.

Upon this dream I shall die
Amid a broken hero's cry
Heed all acting faithfulness
With all one's heart must profess
Love is not a sword to parry
T’is but a gift, a song to carry
Take from these words my heart and sing
Of not cruelty, strife, or suffered King
No blood upon his battle dress
Valiant pursuits across mine chest.