Coming to Terms
by Barry Ergang
Enough!
Your glacial silence said it all.
I couldn't reach the peak on which you froze,
my affinity for altitude gone pale
when cold air knifed my lungs.
Sly devotees
might climb illusive heights, their sole reward
short-stemmed fidelity, my captious rose.
Although I have my faults, I can't afford
to play the fawning drone.
Deceptive bees
will swarm the chilly garden and enthrall
your open petals, rush your breath, deprive
you, rootless bloom, of blush. While they avail
themselves of acrid nectar, I'll take my leave
so you can seek the paragon you've long desired.
And us? We've come to terms. The limits have expired.
Managing Editor of Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine, Barry Ergang's fiction, nonfiction and poetry have appeared in numerous publications, print and electronic, including Apollo's Lyre, The Cortland Review, The Listening Eye, Maelstrom, Mysterical-E, and Stereophile. You will find his web site at http://www.geocities.com/b_ergang/Home.html.