Apollo & Daphne

Impaled by disdain I do not

Wish to be yours forever.

You stare at me with eyes of

Admiration,

Or lust, it may be.

The fields scream with your stride

As you approach me from behind.

All is silent.

Then I begin to run.

Faster and faster our worlds quickly

Become one.

You pursue me with the intention

Of keeping me forever.

How long is ‘forever’ in a young man’s eyes?

Within seconds I am an object of your strife,

Your fingers dart for mine like a golden arrow

Only moments away from piercing my heart.

You may say that this is love, but what is love if it

Can never be returned?

I laugh at you silently as you try to reach for my hand.

Foolish man, you can never love a woman

Whose fingers have turned to leaves.

Apollo and Daphne. John William Waterhouse. Oil on canvas. 1908.