Lusting Without Lust...

It struck me this morning that perhaps I am losing my mind.

All of a sudden I felt a shadow of the fear HAL 9000 felt as Dave removes his higher mental functions.

It was a passing moment.

But then, all moments are passing, are they not?

But still and yet, the kiss, the embraces we shared, on the bed, on the kitchen floor -- where are they now?

I wonder,
do you still remember how we sang
love's sweet melody?

Ah, the harmony!

Our limbs entwined in sweet embrace,
I were you and you were me,
pulsing,
a human anemone beneath the sea...

If only I could touch you again!

Hear your breath,
smell the fragrance of your love,
feel the opening of your tenderness...

Ah, but the memory
as well as the strength of youth fades in me...

And what remains?

A husk, a shell, a "dirty old man"?
No! Anything but that!

True, I oogle young women,
the curve of hip and bust,
but my lusting is without lust!

I wish them well and wish them memories
like those I have of the love we shared.