I.

The hours roll on upon the stage
It’s the magnificent discovery of retreat
To fill another’s role in life
Leaving yours for another day.

But the end time comes—it is inevitable
Time to step out from behind your mask
Take off the hat you’d never wear
Put on the coat you know too well

Drunken with a separate life, not wanting to be sober
I look upon the path ahead and wonder if it has changed
Tonight will come the hangover
Until the jolt around the bend

II.

The sickly beauty of my past, engulfed in tears
She stands erect and lets the stream flow down to her chin
The feeling’s one she knows too well
When the times hit and swell

With piercing eyes, I become her prisoner
There’s just one goal set in my mind
I will not leave until done:
I must take those tears from her

At such an age, with such a face
Who dares trap her in wither ways?
How do I take this pain from her?
I’m the one to make it better

III.

I take her in a warm embrace
My shoulder soaks up the salted drops
As he arms tighten, she learns the truth
This is how it’s supposed to be

We move outdoors—the great seclusion
The perfect night, by chance, endures
Under the specked wall of our great dome
Life spills out in the purest form

I lay down all my wisdom
To see what she knows
I lay down my thoughts
To see if she cares

IV.

With minds exhausted, we see one another
But this time it seems so different
She says she trusts me, but doesn’t know why
How does she not understand?

Our embrace hasn’t left, for minutes on end
Our foreheads are touching, our noses rubbing
Our lips are chap, our throats dry
Is this really happening?

“Can I?” A whisper too soft for a scream
With a nod of her head, she knows that I mean
Both heads we tilt, till noses don’t touch
I am kissing the one I love

V.

And this rolls on my hours upon the stage
Never to get an encore, never such a rave
Three kisses I felt upon luxurious lips
Three kisses is all I get

She has another to kiss her for hours
Though I must say, he is might good
For how else would she stay through all the tears
As he lies and cheats once again

You know why you trust me, and why it feels right
When I wrap my arms around you
I could kiss you and love you for hours and hours
And not throw you out with the rest

Written in April 2007