If I Cannot
If my loving presence does not warm you,
If it does not dry your wet tears away,
Then I have wasted each new breath I drew
To sustain my life on this offered day.
If you cannot retrieve your happy face
Amongst the love-grown life we two do share
Or amid the rhythm of our joined heart's pace,
Then my emotions may collapse from scare.
As the pillow where you can rest your head,
As the balm to comfort your painful ache,
As the light dimming fear of all you dread,
I want to make your sadness flee or break.
If I cannot be all these things and more,
Then I feel trapped in a room with no door.
English Sonnet
September 1, 2016
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