…is upon me again

Here in my desolation
the silence of the flames
that once bound us
in dangerous harmony
is of no consequence
yet the distance between us
provides no relief
from the agony of parting

for they still burn
these flames of ours
deep inside of me
in places from which
there is no escape
invisible to prying eyes
and their heat still radiates

like a summer sun
in the depths of winter
they melt the frost
and the snow
dissolving them into rivers
that flow through my veins
reawakening my memories
reigniting my pain

pulling me backwards
again and again
to realms I have deserted
to the heart
that I have forsaken
now once more
I am drowning
in the endless longing
that lives deep inside of me
where only you can ever see
the flames revived
unwittingly

in an effort to break free
I open myself
to the light of the moon
her cool veils
surround me like a cloak
as the whispers of the night
speak louder
than the rising hiss of the fire

the fire that has taken hold
and is now burning
like a lighthouse in the darkness
signalling the returning
the cycle repeating
I love you
I love you not

the poetry of pain
is upon me again
every line whispers
the things I want to hear
and every stanza
carries me closer
to the flames
the flames that call to me
the flames that I fear
the flames in which I ache
to disappear

© Ann Bagnall