Why does love keep tormenting us,
Why can't it just leave us alone!
Yet, when it comes calling, how we fuss,
Though its fickle ways are well-known

Love has an inflated ego,
And for that we are all to blame,
For as soon as it calls, off we go,
Darting like a moth to a flame

If we could just ignore love's knock
And batten the door to our heart,
Wouldn't that deliver love a shock!
(This scheme may fail, but it's a start)

We should be strong and just say no
When love's song serenades our ears;
(Although, I tried this once long ago
And found myself knee-deep in tears)

In my wisdom, or lack thereof,
I've found this advice still rings true:
Lay down a mat that says "Welcome, Love,
My door's always open to you!"

As night spreads its ribbons of darkness
Loneliness taps at my window pane,
But too lost in reverie am I
To pay heed to its doleful refrain

Wishful thinking helps me to escape
From the madness of Life's fickle ways;
Though make-believe is a tangled web,
I thrive in its ethereal haze

How sweet the proverbial nectar
That flows from his lips onto mine;
What bliss I derive from a romance
Only my wild impulse could design

I swoon at his expressions of love
Sung and spoken in poetic verse;
(Though at times my heart scoffs at pretense,
Seeing not a  blessing, but a curse)

Yet, when I gaze deep into his eyes
I thrill to see love's reflection there;
He need only take hold of my hand
And together we climb Heaven's stair

O, how painful  are the loveless hours
Of reality I must endure;
In my dreary solitude I find
Wishful thinking holds a strange allure

Ah! but then reality holds sway ---
Once again the snake devours the dove;
But wishful thinking soon restores my peace
With its exquisite mimicry of love!

Who has not pondered their last hour
When Death points to our name on his scroll?
As we slowly wilt like summer's last flower,
What concerns will beleaguer the soul?

Who will be waiting to guide me
Down the hallway, just beyond that door
That allows passage to Eternity?
On gilded wings, will my spirit soar?

What questions will be permitted?
Will my heart discover what it seeks?
Will every fault and error committed
Flash before my eyes like lightning streaks?

Will death be unencumbered sleep,
Final escape from the bonds of Earth?
Or will we recall things that made us weep,
And all the joys that gave life its worth?

Will the flowers of love still bloom?
Though I've never carried the bouquet,
Might I be granted one blossom's perfume,
Or will denial once again hold sway?

Should I be granted one query,
With much angst I must inquire of Death:
This heart that expired alone and weary,
Will it find its peace with my last breath?

But should fragments of life still course
Through this clay, allowing pain to seep,
Then I must implore of the Divine Source:
End this game! grant me eternal sleep

Why was I drawn to that gypsy's tent  
When the carnival came to town?  
"Your fortune for one dollar," she cried,  
Soon she wore my resistance down  

After staring at my hand a while  
She announced with a worried sigh:  
"You're a woman wrapped in loneliness,  
Lonely until the day you die!"  

She tried to offer a kindly smile,  
But I sensed pity and sorrow;  
Did she think I took her seriously?  
No one can foretell tomorrow  

Now I look at that same hand today  
And recall her words -  how they sting!    
This abandoned hand that no one holds,  
My finger, wearing no man's ring

But it was a time of hope and dreams  
When the gypsy first read my palm;  
How did she know, I now ask myself,
Sitting alone in twilight's calm  

Lips that kissed mine uttered promises  
They never intended to keep;  
And a heart that pledged its faithfulness
Sank to deeds that were dark and deep  
  
Just what did the gypsy see that day  
While she sadly gazed at my hand?  
Why did she not tell me all my dreams
Would be built upon shifting sand!

So long ago she read Fate's decree,
Truth I can no longer deny:
I'm a woman wrapped in loneliness,
Lonely ..... until the day I die

What is my purpose for being
In a world that I find quite insane?
If given but a glimpse of Fate's scroll
I might know if my birth was in vain

Baffling questions rob me of peace . . .
Why am I here, and why at this hour?
To kindle Love's torch for the lonely ?
To give strength to weak men who cower?

Am I here to sharpen the sword
When the battle's about to be lost?
Might I calm and appease the tempest
As the frigate's being helplessly tossed?

Am I destined to be the beacon
For a traveler who has lost his way
When Life drops its mantle of darkness,
And neither sun nor moon lends its ray?

Perhaps I'm to be the salvation
Of some fool hurrying toward Hell's gate;
But each day seems so ordinary ---
I've no glorious feats  to relate

Will the answer be found in my poems?
When into my soul I dip my pen,
Might I alter the course of the world
Causing Heaven to shout out Amen?!

O please, pardon this bit of folly ---
Now and then I must create reprieves
From Life's ridiculous mandates
To escape the tangled web it weaves

And so I still find myself pondering
What Life has kept so well concealed:
Its mysteries, conundrums and puzzles,
And my purpose . . . yet to be revealed!

He'll take the helm and guide me through
The storms besieging my soul;
When doubt leads to indecisiveness
He'll step in and take control

He'll be the wind beneath my wings,
Saving me from swift descent;
He'll intervene when he perceives
A choice that I might repent

He'll know my strengths and weaknesses,
For he will have forged the key
That permits entry to my heart,
Revealing each mystery

Before my cup of hope is drained
He'll refill it to the brim;
He'll tranquilize my restlessness
With poetry, or a hymn

But cherished most will be his love
That's searching relentlessly
For a heart to combine with his
In flawless harmony.
This is the man I've yet to meet . . .
These are the things yet to be

If you were a bird, I would let you perch
Upon my shoulder, close to my ear;
Your feathery wings would caress my face
As your sweet song blessed the atmosphere

If you were a frog, I'd not seek a prince,
I'd love cradling you in my pocket!
Or, I might wrap you in lace, and then
Wear you close to my heart like a locket

If you were a bee buzzing 'round my head
I would let you nestle in my hair;
Deep in the night your honeyed kisses
Would transcend Heaven's ambrosial air

But it matters not your earthly facade,
You're the one who rules from my heart's throne;
Your seeds of love took root in my heart --
And so, you shall reap the love you've sown