Novel Romance Poem by Robert Graves Jr

It's all there in the book,
Spelled out page by page,
Chapter after chapter-
That first ignition by hot glance,
A conflagration, first smoldering,
And then a bonfire,
Stoked by words and wishes,
Hopes and happiness.
Then comes the inevitable dousing-
Lying words, misunderstandings,
Ladled on to leave a charred landscape,
Desolation of spirit.
Final Chapter:
One smoky tendril signals a hopeful end.
One ruby heart, burning to re-ignite the fire,
Aspires to a white-hot transcendence.
The End:
Book closed, reality encroaches,
Moves misty eyes to mundane things,
Dishes in the sink- barely time
To make things right, sigh into another night,
Dread another day.