Embrace of Shadow-Prayer

When I cannot bring you
to mind for too long—
my breath grows short.
Is this what becomes of such moments
stretched thin—
death?

When I don't see you for too long—
my eyes
turn blood-red, wild with scattered fear
of brilliant flame,
and wait—
watching for your path.

When your voice carries
no tender echo for me
for too many days—
I wake alone in some dead cremation ground.

When I cannot stay touching you—
something inside me writhes in anguish.
When I cannot feel the warmth of your lips—
I complete my longest prayer
in a lifeless voice,
begging to have you near.

Yet to preserve the wholeness
of your silent gaze—
I never
emerge from my shell.

Just this way—
I bind the intensity of our love
to the wound in my chest—
in your sudden embrace.