The Lonely Glass

Dark as coal was the night, as my body aches with
 youthful memories of your tender touches.
 Days spent in fallow fields with unwavering
 wildflowers on a tattered quilt tossed in the trunk.
 The clatter of your camera snapping as I would become
 Your muse while playing in the water like a child.
 Dusk by the veiled pond in our furtive spot
 that sung our names mixed within our playful laughter.
 Bats moving close to the cattails darting sharply
 in the glory of the moonlight gleaming in our presence.
 Endless cricket songs and the vibrations of our own
 voices, as we fervently confessed our undying love.
 How we vowed ourselves to one another as we
 melted in each other's arms locked in this tender time.
 You were my safe place, my cherished refuge,
 and my heart hurt with a slight tear as we parted each night.
 Dreams of life entangled with your voice,
 touch, tears, and lasting love caressed me like a mist.
 Emotions stunned me, breathless by your mere touch
 or the smell of you on my clothing, a beloved scent.
 Waiting on the porch, sweet tea in anxious hands
 as time moved forward, clasping hands are now shaking.
 Oh where my love had you gone why were you late
 this mid-summer night as my anxiety turned to fear?
 I was your stage, and you were my play, as time ceased to exist.
 Magnolias filled the damp air with memories and
 fireflies danced for me in brilliant circles of light.
 But they were not you, my love, my hope for lasting
 happiness during this earthly life into which I was born.
 Have you found another, am I now to be disowned?
 Like a sandspur sting still aching from their bite days later.
 A large pool of water settled around my tea.
 My thin hands were wringing as I already had my answer.
 That night I sat staring at that  glass unable to move
 as I wondered would I ever be loved again,
 would I?

by Joni K. Caggiano 10/31/2019