Tears of love

A pothole under the bus jars me awake
to the weight of his gaze in the night.
A single tear falls, glistening and sweet,
down the incline of his peach fuzzed cheeks
and rests in its demise on his t-shirt.
My consciousness has flown unregistered
on the radar of his wandering mind.
Yet his melancholy smile begs me to speak.
My fear stops me short
as I see his lips start to move.
A quiver at first. Just the taste of promised words.
Of sweet surrender - the dam finally breaking.
"I love you," said silently yet strong.
His eyes seem to recede once they meet mine.
We know.
Know that the burden is too great to bear,
know that the flicker of love must be thwarted.
Know that what just happened must never exist
Outside that single shining tear
already dry in the cotton of his shirt.