the vow

I will love you, at once fiercely and gently,
with fidelity uncharacteristic of our race,
and to the dulling of all other sparkling facets of this diamond life.

I will swallow deeply all that you choose to purge
in ways of jealousy or rage, spite or discontentment,
but will not resent even the most bitter mouthful of you.

I will respect the power you wield to devastate
with a careless word or an uncaring silence,
and will acknowledge this same power in me.

I will tend to the veil of sickness and deformity that may at times shroud you,
and if such a veil is to be worn though never lifted,
I will be content to peer through it forever.

I will tamper not with the natural flow of change in you,
and will bend not to every force that would attempt to change me,
but only to those that might propel me closer to you.

I will seek shade only in the lee of your abdomen,
comfort only in the gentle breeze of your voice,
and pleasure in places no further than an arm’s length from you.

I will find a way to remember you, even if I lose you –
to somehow chain my heart to your wispy memories
and leave untouched every remaining impression of your body.

I will neither regret nor forget this vow I now make;
I wish to never look back, but only to turn to my side on occasion
and see you still walking with me, smiling.