I can’t go very long

these days before

I get the desire to see her

Her eyes, her smile

her body

I feel an ache, a craving

eating away inside of me

An itch that I can’t scratch

myself

I need to feel

the touch of she who

cares for me

and has a similar ache

within her self

I tell myself I’m my

own man again

 and I've got

places to see and

wander through alone

Before my eyes go dark and

Time claims me for itself

But my empty bed

feels like a prison at night

cold and quiet and lonely

I long to reach out

and feel her there

feel her warmth

and hear her sigh

How to reconcile these two yearnings?

To be free and to be claimed as well?

Perhaps her touch is my

real destination

and to explore her eyes

Is all the journeying I need

The world will have to wait

and wandering might well be

a younger man’s calling

I’ll buy her flowers and candy

and a fine dinner on Valentine's night

And watch as her eyes reflect

a glorious vista

a new horizon

a country undiscovered

Until now.