Love's Bane
by Katy Argyle
My heart is kept secured in oaken box,
All iron bound and warded with a key.
But thou hast come and broken all the locks,
Despite my strength, thy charm hath thwarted me.
This path is one that I have trod before.
This game is one I've played and felt the pain
That comes to all in tallying the score.
This game, played young, is always played in vain.
And yet I cannot tame my doting heart,
Nor quench the passion that thou dost endow.
Against my will my love I do impart
To thee. Thou art my chiefest weakness now.
In season brief, this love thou wilt outgrow
And we'll be left with naught but wretched woe.
[January 2001]