“Secret Love”

Obsidian hair tinged with red, like Blood Moon’s night,
Sways with every step of your bulldog swagger.
Sandstone-quarry eyes betray your pretty smile,
Refusing to let the faces see your fractures.

Make-up from your face smears across my black clothes —
Stained reminders of the love you give me each day.
Your arms wrap vice-like, as if afraid to let go,
And the bruises darken whenever you’re away.

Curled up on the couch, we whisper our greatest fears,
Telling stories to each other as the night wanes.
All of the pain in your life burns my skin and sears,
And the blood rushes hotter through my pulsing veins.

The marks you’ve left on my heart, beautiful tattoos,
Are evidence that my love you will never lose.

Steve D