....How Foolish Could Love Be..... Poem by RIC BASTASA

the one you love
always stand out against
the rest

in the company of friends
in a black and white picture
the face of the beloved
is as red as a rose
the body as fragile as
a petal
the eyes as gentle as
an early morning sunrise

if the beloved were a pigeon
among the rest of the pigeons
the feathers are not white
but as red as a red rose
that just bloomed on that
early spring

and when all of them have
flown away from you the one
that you love most
leaves its shadow
its perfume
its color
its shape, like a memory that
you cherish
despite the passing of all the
years and those who watch you
in anger and pity
deep within still say
how foolish can your love be
how foolish indeed
for you to destroy a self
and banish a world which should have
been yours
forever....