Secret Love Poem by Bernard Franklin

I wear my heart on my sleeve
so I am open to use and abuse.

I am bleeding profusely inside,
and longing for succour and sanctuary.

I feel the vibrancy of my life force, slowly slipping away,
and miss you like a heartbeat
for your pulse was the rhythm of my life.

Wishing to be close and tactile.
Needing to inhale your musky scent.
Longing for your souls reprieve.

Half of me is missing.

Half of me won’t heal.

Where did you go to my lovely?
You are hidden so deep within the matrix,
of my memory.

You are an indelible stain from my past,
that cannot be washed away.

My new love knows not of you,
and must never be told,
for fear of friction and rejection.

You must forever remain

My greatest loss

My secret love

Because of you,

I wear my heart on my sleeve.