Because I Love You

I called your out your name,
all that returned to my ears was the rustling of leaves,
dry as the well that once held my conviction.
I planted the love you gave me in the soil,
from those tainted seeds sprouted thistles and loneliness.

Because I love you,
I waited in the meadows for you to come to me,
the petals upon their stems soon turned to dust.
The seasons each kissed me goodbye with gentle ruthlessness
as I allowed you to wear me down,
like the sediment lining a riverbed.

The sun and moon rose and fell each day with reassuring consistency,
as you consistently turned from me.
I am comforted by the soft shadows that fall underneath a sun-kissed willow,
My salvation is in the stream that cuts delicately through the trail
upon which my love was brought to fruition.
I will hold my head under the icy waters,
until the only affection I hold is for myself.