Distance

Beckoned by the Graces, be
The child that came so graciously,
By night, at first, in honesty
My friend, I must admit you tempted me.

Green eyes, bright as beacons, I
Still see them in my darkest nights.
In you, sweet child, a fire alights
To coax these bitter embers back to life.

But tend these embers close I must,
Lest embers burn and beckon lust.
I'd be a fool to take your trust
And twist this gift into a love unjust.

I wish you were a stranger, child,
A dream across a thousand miles,
That we were younger, dumb and wild.
I wish you'd never looked at me and smiled.

I swore I'd never fall again,
Would never love nor ever mend,
But also, never to pretend -
For now I feel I've fallen for a friend.

So distance, I suppose, it is -
No skin to touch, no mouths to kiss.
Yes, distance: I can deal with this,
Although these words forever linger on my lips.

However frightened I may be
I have to speak in honesty,
To say without apology,
I love you more than anyone could anything.