you fear 
the barrenness 
love 
might betray
begging 
the compassion
you can never
offer
another
i hope
you dream

peacefully 
before 
love flees
before 
ambition
and hard questions
are asked with 
mirrored
eyes

i still 
cradle
you in dreams
so deep
i still
fear
so deep
a loss 
melding trust
and betrayal
wondering

whether
so intimate 
a cut could
be so casually
planned
wondering
how so casual 
a cut could
never be worth
a second glance
wondering

if eventually 
consequences must
be bought back -
if dreams mirror
each seething
moment haunting 
each night
until you finally 
wake
a forest
quietly 
encircling
your 
castle.
 

-Joseph Brad Kluge
     25 August 1998 
     rev15sept1998