I had thought, long ago,

That I had rendered

My heart safe

From unrequited longings,

That it had been cauterized

By one rejection

Too many,

That every last hope

Had been annihilated.

Years passed
Without so much

As a flicker

Of a dream

Of love and romance

And I grew complacent

In my pallid gray world,

Content in my aloneness,

My heart, my very soul,

Completely protected

From further destruction.

Now, suddenly,

All those romantic dreams

Have returned

With a vengeance,

Bringing with them

All of the old pain

And the fear,

The absolute terror,

That I must relearn

The harsh lessons

That cost me so dearly

In my youth.

Thankfully there is no real object

Of this desire, so

I do not understand why

These yearnings have reawakened

From their dormant state,

But they have left me vulnerable

And almost defenseless.

I pray I can send them back

From whence they came

Before I am destroyed

Once again.