in vino veritas br so goes the phrase br & so t'would seem to be: br br Mind can lie; heart cannot. br & when mind keeps heart br under lock & key br then wine can seem br a welcome thief br opening lock'd heart br letting it speak its truth. br br Thus my quandary: br Because I love you br I long to hear those words, br so sweet, echo'd back to me. br But at its killing cost br a price too high br & one I'd never ask. br br For your heart's true song br is known to me br & though I might wish br you could pick heart's lock br or someday your mind br be a willing key, br I'd rather have you br be icy cold to me br than cold & dead & I bereft: br The grave's no place for your beauty, love br nor for your kind & loving heart br You mean so much to me. br br My curse, you see, is to love you. br (I have e'er since we met.) br & I know what your heart feels br though mind can never speak. br Which is why I've never br closed my own: br open my heart & vulnerable br it leaves me little choice. br For I can naught but love you br e'en with your heart's truth unvoiced. br br & once cross'd over to other side br our masks & roles shall be br dropp'd like useless toys br freeing our shining spirits br who shall embrace & know true joy. br but as for now, that old saw's truth br must sustain me & suffice br as my heart alone shall sing her tune aloud br and I stand, Aphrodite's sacrifice.