Expressing his fears in entering into his first true love affair, with the totem-muse Psyche, the poet wrote this poem in 1973.
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tread softly on the carpets of my soul.
before no other have they been laid, so open,
and were they to be abused...surely I would die.
weave carefully your dreams to make me whole.
fashion them discreetly, do not parade
my love for you like some new toy...before every eye.
carve my flesh with blades of trust.
fear not my death, for I am made strong
by the love I sense in you...a love I know we share.
bury me not beneath time's dust,
for memory lies and I will live long
and at peace within the world...as only lovers may dare.
William F. DeVault. all rights reserved.