23 May 1993 / 2 October 2001

Shoes, his, hers, against the wall.
One rests against the other.
Hers:  open-toed with straps
meant for dancing, but not forever.
His:  black leather with sturdy soles
meant for comfort, but not seduction.

Early evening, a graceful dance to imitate seduction
Is designed to penetrate icy barriers.
A discovery of mistrust buried deep in the soul
Aching to be overcome by the other.
Each knows they cannot stay alone forever,
Hiding from life, bound by chains.

Midnight, on the bed, held in place by tethers,
Continues the next phase of seduction.
At first, while restrained for an hour,
the tethers allow the destruction of barriers,
Allow the freeing by the other
Of a too-long hidden soul.

In their dream, walking down the aisle, soles
With every step strike shards of fear – written commitments
Bind by law one to the other
Sanctifying each phase of seduction,
Blessing the servitude to company behind glass
For their lifetime.

Early hours, in the afterglow, a lifetime
Is much too short to bare one’s soul,
Is much too short to bring down the walls.
Years of protection have kept each chained,
Hiding them from love or seduction,
Preventing the adoration of the other.

At dawn, one pins the other
And extracts a promise for a lifetime.
Using tools of physical seduction
One circumvents the barriers to the other’s soul
That have kept each bound
And gagged in their own dungeon.

Their souls bared to each other,
They discard their chains and promise forever
Within the walls of mutual seduction.