Whenever You Appear - Poem by Patti Masterman

Whenever you appear, I would run out to greet you
My hand either a blade or a petal,
Depending on which face you turned toward me;
You are allowed more than one identity,
But only one chance with me-
My patience is not interminable,
Like a lamp burning till sunrise,
Finally extinguished by the gnarled hands of faithful loving.
My love is always fresh and painful like a birth,
With sharp fangs which pant, for all the clamor living inside your blood:
My pain you could bear; my restraints you would welcome
But only for as long as you could remain true to yourself.