For James

This stab of confusion is driving you away from yourself.
The red ribbon, more than one year old,
Reminds you of her idea of a date,
And effaces your concept of fairness.
Why do you persist in her smile?
Each time she beguiles you
You forget what I’ve told you
Over the ember-brown glasses of hoofing horses.
Didn’t you say yes?
But then again, you may not even remember
How, a long time ago,
You used to revel in the unclaimed territories of your heart,
Illusions spreading pretty thin,
My words piercing right through the shaft of your frontline
As you scuttled in and out of your morbid jigsaw work.
In the end, didn’t you always tell me that
My logic rocked?
Didn’t I always prevail upon
Describing to you how sick your blush was?
Even when you magicked a bouquet of roses
Out of a layer of clumped napkins,
I was whiffed away by your lines,
Envying the very structure of your personal romance.
I think I’m stuck in one blow.
I just realized that whatever antic you flash,
I’d have to respect your baseless decision.