BELIEF
By Stanley Collymore
I know well enough that because of the existing
circumstances in your life, heavily influenced by
the past, I have neither a legal nor any moral
entitlement to a love-affair with you. And any
right which I presently enjoy in this regard
to claim some of your time is wholly
dependent on the continuance of our
relationship, itself nurtured on the love
that we share for each other and
that I hope with all my heart will
overcome the many obstacles
that are ranged against it.
For to have to give you up would be a disaster,
that I would find extremely hard to reconcile
myself with; but to lose either your love
or respect would be the kind
of catastrophe that dishonour alone
engenders and death completes.
But despite this full and clear recognition
that I both need and desperately want you in
a meaningful way in my life, I nevertheless
could never resort to either pressuring
or deceiving you into ever doing
anything that you were
unsure of or had set your mind
against. For your personal
happiness will always be my
overriding concern. And only death—
the final arbiter in these matters– stands
any realistic chance of ever altering that fact.
© Stanley V. Collymore
24 December 1997.
