Long Ago and Far Away
“Regarde, mais ne touche pas” he told himself
whenever she appeared before him
with that bewitching love in her sad eyes.
This wench had powers that made him fear her kiss
more than a bloody seige on his castle,
for already she’d invaded his dreams
and captured his imagination.
Then there were those mysterious awakenings
and yearnings in the night
driving him crazy with desire.
Sometimes he imagined her in his chambers—
imagined her invisible, starry body merged with his.
Worse still, he’d felt the first stirrings of love
for this strange, enchanting woman.
Yes, the magnetic beauty of her comely face
and the subtle seductions of her body’s grace
posed a dangerous threat to all that he had—
his heart, his mind, his family, his possessions…
The dark knight resolved then and there
he must kill her with indifference—
a look quite clear in its intended meaning.
First, a cruel, contemptuous glare,
then a cold and empty stare…
“Regarde, mais ne touche pas!”
November, 1996 revised May, 2004
Flowerpoet 