Love by Robert Indiana
Tattered Longings
I am tearful and found wanting
Just admitting that my needs
And secret hopes are worthless tender
In a spendthrift world of love
I am hidden and yet visible
Looking in on others tasting the
Spoils of their conquers
In the wee hours of the night
Who am I to question karma?
Or the way the road should take me
It’s been way too long for me
To clear my throat and make requests
If I could I wouldn’t ask much
Only sips of love’s sweet nectar
Just enough to know its taste
perhaps pretend that I’m a guest
Love is out there just for others
I’ve always known this but
I think the more I see the lovers laughing
The suffering begins
See me fade into the background
Blending in and barely noticed
I go dormant tucking into all the
Underbrush of life
I can lie here very still and hear
The heartbeat of my lifetime
Steady drumming, no surprises
Just a woman no one loved
Wouldn’t want to wake the lovers
Lying in the predawn splendor
Fingers laced in one another’s
Dreaming kisses into place
by Therese Dawe
Therese Dawe is a poett and essayist who writes about the ways that we all find our path through life’s difficulties. Death, dying, the resiliency of the human spirit and the need to be connected are all topics of exploration. Also, she’s an unapologetic flaming Liberal.
