Inventory

I have a secret, soft as lead
I have a darling, dear as breath
I know a charm, to warm your heart
I know a hunger, never fed

I need three whispers in a cave,
I need embraces wrapped in silk;
I want a kiss that's fierce and deep,
I want a distant, empty grave.

I'll sell my secret to the bold,
I'll keep my darling near my soul;
I'll give my charm to you to-night,
I'll take my hunger from your sight.

Where are my whispers still unsaid,
Embraces girt in cloth unspun?
They lie with kisses soft and done,
Not in a grave, nor yet abed.

2002 Nov 18