Death Sentence

There is pain beyond 
The stabbing of the flesh 
And the burn of nerves.
 

There is pain

No doctor may treat

That extends from the

Mind and heart

That not even time

May abate.

It is a contagion

Spread from contact

Of fingertips

Arms and lips.

It is a virus of the heart

Causing the lungs

To restrict breath

And the stomach

To refuse food

The brain to recycle

Endless spools

Of memory.

There is one remedy…

To have no loving contact

No embrace

No surrender to desire

To recluse oneself from

All worldly affection.

In other words…

It is a death sentence.