Tender Place

Your eyes that spoke so softly
Were our weak point
I did not explore that tender place
Filled with raw emotion
Fearing what we were trying to deny,
To fight, would explode in brilliance
And our resolve to remain thus,
In friendship, would weaken.
Fearing that passion - like lightning -
Would tear through this forced denial of truth
And triumph over the strength of your will,
Shatter my self control.

Lest this torrent be released
I fear the rush of emotions
Would blind us to the risk,
The loss that would surely come.
My faith in your resolve will not weaken
Like starlight that surrenders
Even as dawn washes over the silent sky.

I know we must deny this truth
That burns in that tender place,
In this clasp of hands,
This reluctance to let go
As moments of tragic tenderness
Spring up between us tonight.

Come close, let’s test each other
Playing at friendship in these midnight hours
Let’s experiment, even as morning slowly creeps in, uninvited
Bringing separation, isolation, aloneness.
Every minute we spend leaves us one minute less
And we must stop, I know.
But right now, let’s pretend
It will be beautiful always
And will not hurt
There will be no scars when we are through.

But your eyes that speak so softly
Remain our weak point
That tender place that says, "don’t go..."