Dear Lover;

I know that my emotions are sometimes iron-clad,
Immaculately armored, and heavily guarded

As the gates of Alcatraz;

Yet, when they chance to make a prison break escape
Across the high seas of trust, leaping into belief and faith,

Their trappings turn as transparent as glass;

And I become nearly as fragile.

And Lover;

You are not so easy as you think yourself to be.

You are high-speed full steam ahead;
Then you slam the brakes inside your head

And leave me wondering what it is you really meant

When you said…

Well, let’s not get into that just yet

Instead, I’ll watch the wheels turn
Inside that beautiful mind
And wonder if the root
Of the issue is mine…

My own contradictions, mingled with
Self-interest, and conflicted by concern for

Our defenses

Dear Lover;

Please don’t let me lead you
Down the path of least resistance,

The two of us together
Scrawling love letters

Across prison walls.