Love's Waterloo

I looked at you a thousand times
before I saw you once
You never did look back at me
my vision sorely trumped

Till that one day I saw you clear
in substance and in form
But still I longed for one more look
where I still got it wrong

You’re with me now in all I say
and everything I do
Though never more than what this is…
a lovesick waterloo

I wish I could have squinted more
or glanced with just one eye
As stars misled a heart deceived
—my fantasy belied

(Dreamsleep: May, 2022)