Unknown Lover

This is a poem about what I feel when I am in love (usually unilaterally)... It is not dedicated to anybody in particular, even though there is a special presence in my heart...

It makes me weep and shiver
That I can't get through
This cold, dreadful barrier
And shout out loud, "I love you"

For you are all I crave
With every pulse of my heart,
And every breathing is a wave
Of love, and pain when we part.

It rends me asunder, though,
That I alone know
How it feels to love, to suffer,
To rejoice and cry for you...

For cruel fortune has it
That none of your thoughts be mine
Of your heart, I won't know the slightest bit -
- Oh, and if only I could drink it like a sweet wine!

I yearn to be the flesh on your mouth,
I long to become the sheen of your eyes
And I could even build a throne of joy upon your lies...

If only I could feel your scent,
Taste your love, your lips, your grace,
I'm sure I would be forever bent
And surrender to your overwhelming embrace.

Without you, I will fade away
And my world will turn grey.
But knowing you are as unreachable as a fay,
I am bound to see no other day...

And so I die, gently
Covered by your memory,
Forever lost in your unending beauty...