So fragile my heart was touched

So fragile my heart was touched
You look almost transparent, brittle like old glass
Ready to break into a thousand pieces
At the least touch or word.

There was a time when I felt more than compassion
Willing to offer my strength and protection
Against the pain of living, so clear in your face,
But that was in the past, in the before time,
And the breaking in of cold reality.

The dullness in your eyes tells me
That all passion is spent now, dispersed by
The passage of days and weeks,
Lost in the mists of forgetfulness.
Gone is the desire, the anger, the bitterness
Of rejection, leaving only a dull ache
And pity, which is a kind of love,
But cruel and cold.

There was a time when you welcomed my concern,
Happy to blossom in my warmth and light.
But now, even in your porcelain frailty
Your pride is too strong and fierce
And even to admit you ever cared for me
Would seem like a betrayal,
A rejection of your independence
And that too is part of the pity.
The heightened colour in your cheeks and voice
Which once so excited and attracted me,
Evidence of your pleasure in my company,
Has now assumed a different meaning,
And like the bright red of belladonna
Proclaims a clear, brutal message.

All that remains is assumed indifference,
And false gaiety must hide the pain within
As pierced by the icy shards of your life
I seek the consolation of time and oblivion.