By Nikki
Date: 4 February 2001

Lifetime in a Touch

The day leaves its mark,
dousing the spark
in your disillusioned eyes.
You look as though you
carry the weight of
the world on your shoulders.
One might only have to
touch you to see it all
come tumbling down.
A breeze whispers by
and with a hard-fought sigh
you submit to a gentle care
we both know is wrong.
I watch the stress flow away
under the gentle ministrations
of my capable hands.
The heat from your skin
stretched over muscles too tight
burns the tips of my fingers,
and I wonder what price
my soul will pay
for this frozen moment in time.
Life melts away
as the gods cloak
us in a peaceful
aura of soft colors intertwining
as we might have
had we met so long ago.
Concealed from prying eyes
my mind escapes,
allowing intense emotion
to convey itself to you
through sensation alone.
Words are not necessary
as instinct guides the
kneading pressure on a 
spirit too long forgotten.
Too soon it must end, though,
for even innocent intentions
can be lost in imagination,
and the sincerest offering
of comfort in the massage
can only be maintained 
for so long.
Verbal sparring will 
once more reign,
life will erect a 
barrier between us,
and our moment of nirvana
will fade sweetly to deja-vu,
leaving us to wonder
Did it ever really happen?

NL 2001