lovers

he gives me roses and i exclaim

smile, say the expected words!

midnight--

he wheezes past by my balcony.

in the moonlight i claim to be a new bess

waiting for my highwayman!!

he pretends that he owns me.

i pretend to be dominated.

(no deceptions here, we are educated idiots!)

in the frantic kisses we struggle:

--to recover the heaven we had once witnessed,

--that long ago memory of a fragrant evening.

-- of a virgin kiss on virgin lips.

and then all spent, we pant

and renew our false vows-

to love each other eternally

and i see a beautiful past in his wistful eyes

and he foresees

a passionless wasted future

so dull -- almost real!!

and so we cling on

carrying no doubts, only certainties

but ah!! what certainties!!