It took me almost too long to realize

That Time furnishes

His hindering house such that it

Never fails to

Present me with

Painful obstacles,

And chances for mistakes.

His interfering screens inevitably

Place the one thing

I want just out of

Respectable reach,

But coldly keep it close

Enough to tempt me, while

Far enough away

To invite people’s roving eyes

If I should ever dare to stretch out,

And grab.

On my last visit,

Time, in his maddening style,

Offered me

A teasing taste of

The unripened idea of us.

This notion filled a subtle place

Inside, and

I knew that

If I could just be patient, hold myself

And wait a little while longer,

Until I – until we – were ready

To be maturely devoured,

Our idea would be,

Quite simply, delicious.

I did. And it was.