Love Is Wasted On Lovers

Love is wasted on lovers –
Those childlike and selfish satyrs and sirens
Traipsing lackadaisically through the gardens of man
As the world burns around them.
Obsessed with their lusts and their feelings;
With their watered-down vision,
Prettier than fields of flowers,
Stronger in their moment than venerable oaks
And dumber than a dog
Who drowns fighting his own reflection in the lake.
Smiling their smiles of reciprocation and satisfaction,
They tapdance on the hearts of the rest of us –
Unknowingly, uncaringly:

Us mere mortals who have never felt the sting in the heart
From the pluck of the bow
And those former lovers who fell to the ground defeated
And never got the lucky breaks
To strap the gloves back on
And step into the ring one more time
For a rematch with romance.

John Tustin’s poetry has appeared in many disparate literary journals since 2009. fritzware.com/johntustinpoetry contains links to his published poetry online.