Love's Construction

I stare apprehensively past my barrier At the sun-soaked field, adorned with color, stretched before me, I clutch two iron bars with bony, white knuckles; A shadow falls over my pale skin, It's tall, dark owner contradicting his surroundings. I reluctantly move my focal point from his dark, flowing garments Directing it towards his barely visible, shadow-haunted face: His flawless features, strong jaw, and stern, Expressionless look mesmerize me; My gaze travels across his face as our eyes meet in a hypnotizing lock. His eyes, glassy and cold, pierce through mine with mocking amusement As he offers his hands to his admiring subject I reach out to grasp the cold, sweat-slick hands, To accept the offer, just as he pulls them back, teasing my desire And throws his head back in a shrill, high-pitched laugh that echoes off the walls of my cell, And pierces my ears repeatedly, haunting me. I watch, helpless and fearful, As he condescends from his daunting stature, Stooping to reach the premises of whispered dialogue; He hisses through his teeth as I feel his hot breath on my neck As he mockingly asks of my refusal To accompany him in the meadows, Knowing of my craving to abscond The accursed place where he looks in on his quarry. Upon receiving the expected reply of silence, His rasping voice dares me to grant my focus to an object behind me. I tentatively twist my head, feeling his eyes bore into me As an illusive mirror contorts into shape before me, And unrecognizable shades of gray dance in the shadows Until a ghastly figure emerges from within the whirlpool, gaunt and wasted. I observe intently as she shelters herself, placing brick upon brick, stone upon stone, And placing the iron bars around her, leaving only a small window of light. Hour after hour, she watches through the window the face of a man In admiration and infatuation she does not once look away- But slowly reaching down for her very last brick, She places it in the window, and the mirror suddenly blackens. I continue to stare into the empty shadows, entranced by the chimera; But the same clammy hands reach through the bars, And grasp my shoulders, jolting me from my trance. Their owner spits out his words in a rush of hot air, A strong stench penetrates my nostrils. He asks me as he shakes my frail body with forceful pulsation: "Did you recognize her?!" Dropping me onto the cold, dank floor of my cell, I look up to see a sardonic expression, a prideful lift on his chin, As he stares down his nose at the pitiful heap of bones beneath him And turns to walk away, deserting me. I instinctively lok back to where the shadows deceived my vision, And see a solitary object occupying the corner. With all the strength left within me, I retreive the object and watch myself in terror As I place the brick into the last open space. Written November 21st, 2001 © on Nov 21 2001 06:31 AM PST   0 • 8