Poem: "Self Denial" by M Teresa Clayton

Self Denial
M Teresa Clayton

You are not my soul’s addiction.
This is not a midnight craving.
This is not my sole confliction
When a heart is worth the saving.

You are not my constant yearning.
It is not a love forsaken.
This is not a poignant learning
Considering the risk I have taken.

You are not my mind’s invention.
This is just an obscene fixation.
This is not some blind convention,
Just a subtle willful persuasion.

You are nothing but a fascination,
A craze, a moment of curiosity!
This might be just infatuation
Driven mad by impetuosity.

You might be a critical distraction.
This could be a smoldering flame.
It is not just a typical attraction
If I give in - so what? Who’s to blame?
You have become a serious delusion.
You ask and I’m afraid to reply.
I feel lost in delirious confusion.
I am losing my strength to deny.

You are my hunger, my thirst, my desire.
This is my itch, my longing, my lust.
You are the object of my deepest desire,
I surrender… please, do what you must…