The Heart’s Betrayal

I hear her voice and cannot help but smile,
I hold her eyes and do not need to speak,
I hear her laughter and life seems worthwhile,
I think of her and am bereft of sleep.

When she is near my thoughts are but a blur,
I feel contentment  and great tenderness,
When she leaves, even briefly, I endure,
An irrational growing emptiness.

I do not wish to love her, yet I do,
And recognize the pain that it will cause,
To one who loves me deeply, long and true,
And does not know of her potential loss.

Reason decries the growing love I feel,
Yet it is there, most powerful and real.

From Of Pain and Ecstasy: Collected Poems (C) 2011 Victor D. López