I know what you want––
You want the vast applause of thousands
And the faceless millions who exist only
To worship you.
I know what you want––
You want a book
Bound in leather with gilded pages
That will not betray your words
For ages.
I know what you want––
You want a world
That is pliable and
Yields to your intentions
Like a dream
Which will never forget the
Sweet inflections of your voice.
I know what you want––
You want to be truly loved
To the nubbins of your bones
To the crimson of your nature.
You want to be loved
For the gentle heart
Which you have almost
forgotten.
To be loved for the conviction
Of being yourself.
For if they could only see you
As you really are
And listen
To the heart-beat
Of your being
They would recognize their lives
As what they really are––
Mere fragments of your epic poem.