For starters, I write terrible poetry. When I'm inspired, I write even more terrible poetry. ^_^ Don't say I didn't warn you. [Nikita- ayanami@skyinet.net] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I am alone I call you Kaoru When I am alone, I call you Kaoru. I feel a sudden rush of tenderness at the sound of your name. I close my eyes and say, "Kaoru", and all at once you fill my mind --- the sun in your hair, the way your eyes crinkle, the melody of your laughter, the soft patter of your footsteps... It stirs something deep inside me That I cannot bring myself to understand. How starkly different it is From the usual "Kaoru-dono"! The honorific sets the barrier between us: You are the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu master; I am your ever-reliable housekeeper/cook/bodyguard/what-have-you. You are young, ambitious, carefree, innocent, and I am a slave to life --- tired, worn-out, old. My tainted hands are not fit to touch yours. I can hover near, and yet must keep my distance. A rurouni has his many secrets But few of them are as precious as this --- When all is quiet, I gently reach inside me, carefully draw out the memory of you, and hold you as long as dreams may allow. When I am alone, I call you Kaoru. When I am alone, I call you Kaoru.