Withered love (1995)

Last night I watched a friend of mine make a paper swan,
The kind whose wings can flap. I was reminded of the one
You made for me, those years ago, when we were "just good friends".
And then I started thinking about all of our loose ends.

Sadness overcame me as I pondered why we lost touch,
Separate lives in separate towns, maybe I wanted too much.
You, being such a busy man, could barely spare the time
To court me. I lost hope, love stifled in its prime.

In the interim, the gaping void, when I simply did not care
What became of me, of my life, I dared all that I could dare.
But, wounded in the battle, I retired to nurse my pain,
And in my hurt, and in my loss, I thought of you again.

And now we fence our way through awkward chats upon the 'phone,
Unasked questions hanging in the air, two people on their own.
So much I loved, so much I cared, so much I had to lose,
I turned around; you walked away from the future we could choose.

I look into the future: your face swims before my eyes,
Your voice, your touch, your kisses. You hear not now my sighs.
I snap back into the present, I remember where I am,
And with pangs for you, and pangs for us, I stare out across the Cam.