The Platonic Lovers Poem by Raj Dronamraju

Feeling the wave of a passion denied wash over us leaving us dry but drowned
A backwards tsunami dragging us further out
But yet keeps us pinned together

If only I was inside bifurcated want
The two of us but only I call us that
And we laugh in the staffroom and we laugh in the cafe
You look at your watch and that signals the end of all things

Couldn't stomach the past due relationship in which bankrupt hope remains unfed
But still produces telephone calls and enthusiastic, flirtatious banter
And you thump your chest with each moment of spirited eros that makes the line shake but does not result in a catch

Far be it from me to tell anyone what to do
But I feel you on a daily basis in the voice of desperate salesmanship
Gratitude for friendship and non-physical affection brings on paralysis
A paralysis that serves as a backdrop when each of us go home to something gloomy we might still call love