I Am Innocent of Love

I am innocent of love
And have sinned against my heart,
I have borne burdens not my own
And am guilty in the dark,
I am guilty in the dark
Of loving him
Who is not mine,
Whose distance
Is the constellation
Of Orion.
Orion, my beloved
In the winter of my life
Is this your gift to me
After all these lonely years
When I have learned to live
Alone and silent, touchless,
I stand here trembling
On the edge of an unremarkable life
And wonder,
Is this loving my salvation
Or my death?

©  2006 J.L.Stanley