Self Infliction Election

How do I tell you

The years have tried

My heart

More than time

Has aged me

And the tribulations

Of my soul

Remain for you

And only you?

Every step I take

With cautious trepidation

For fear

Of discombobulation

Of a relationship I

Uphold

Beyond all else.

How do I describe

The concern I feel

For your well-being

When distance

Holds still further apart,

As if

We were dragged away,

A Romeo and Juliet

In the making?

But what might I do

If you are not

My Romeo?

To what avail

Might it be

If I strip my soul bare,

Wear my heart on my sleeve

And you

Refuse me?

I'd just as soon

Steel

My heart,

Boast

My independence,

My singularity,

Forever the flagrant villain,

Than shed

Even a single tear

For want of you.

I'd rather lie

And break

My own heart

Than face

Your rejection.

And if this path

Leads to my destruction?

I shall welcome it

With open arms

Because then

I'd still have you.

If I am to be

Poisoned,

Shattered,

Broken,

Better by my own hand

And no other.