My Confession

A Poem by Mason Rayburn

"Look at me, please..."
She begs of me
As a saddened smile
Twists her face in pain.
"I cannot," I say
With a heavy sigh.
"For I would do so
For all the wrong reasons."
"I don't care!" she says.
Her plight is clear.
"I just want one glimpse.
Look on me just once,
So I know that
You truly love me."
"But you know that I love you."
I say to her
As my eyes find a point
Just beyond her face.
"Even now you won't look.
Not even to keep me
From walking away."
Then my eyes found
The place she once sat.
Her legs had already
Carried her away.
I watched her figure
Disappear in the distance
As I silently whispered my confession.
"The truth is I looked.
Several times I looked.
I cherished every moment I saw you.
I saw you, my angel,
And the whole world fell away.
When you asked me to look,
I simply could not.
But it wasn't because I didn't love you.
If I gazed into your perfect eyes,
I would see myself reflected in them.
I couldn't stand the sight,
I couldn't stand the image,
Of seeing myself in you.
So forgive me, my love.
I love you, I truly do..."
So ended my confession-
Pain built up over years.
Unable to chase her, my love,
I rose and left in the opposite direction.