Scarce draws of affection
They come and go
In secrecy and welded to silence

Dead end yearnings
Slash away at me and disperse
Leaving me to weep and reel
Trembling as I slowly crumble and sob

The torment of longing
Fades, and then lashes!
Receding only to jolt forth
Shoving at my mournful ailing facade

Swift stints of hunger
Maddeningly occur and dissipate
Bred within my iron shackles
Confined to the love I had always known

“Don’t avert from me”
“Don’t defer your tenderness”
“Stay the course
Disavowing the need, to fold and withdraw”