Lover and Guide

27 February 2026

https://poems.culturing.net/2026/02/lover-and-guide/

Perhaps I see now the folly in trying
to be both lover and guide...my own feelings
get in the way of allowing you to explore yours...
or maybe induce confusion, as if these feelings and that exploration
were part of the love instead of preparation for it.
In truth, they are preparation, and therefore a private affair.
But that does not mean that I did not care.
I would see you blossom, whether for me
or some other...but perhaps you do not like
being put in a box as a broken thing,
a thing needing repair...I see
what I see, and you came to me
when you found my poetry, consuming it
apparently voraciously. What kept you coming back?
I do not mean to mock you, I simply mean
that if my words are worth reading, there must be some truth
in what I say.