Moonlight and crystal connect in your eyes;
Black scattered petals and mouth carmine red
Tangle and stretch towards the amethyst skies,
Beauty that captivates even the dead.

Death is a secret, a soft, stolen kiss,
Death is a distance that opens my mind;
Cold city walls leave me nothing to miss,
Nothing to grieve-- but that you wait behind.

So I arise, and I reclaim my breath,
So I return to the e'erpresent crowd,
Caught and entranced by that which transcends death,
Held back by chains that I somehow allowed.

Somehow, the jackals draw near at your call--
Voices grant distance when you touch my hand.
Silence leads up to my inev't'ble fall,
Your perceived wish becomes my soul's command.

Shade-petalled blossom, Tarinka, beware--
Scorning this warning would be your mistake.
By the night mists and the Jackal-Lord's lair
I'll bend your spirit until we both break.

Ten years ago, you'd have brought me no strife;
You'd have been simply the game of a day,
Chained by my pack for the rest of your life.
I'd break your heart and then saunter away.

I warn you now-- by the night sky above--
Naught can I give you but more cause to grieve.
Only a fool seeks a jackal pup's love.
These words are true.  I pray you disbelieve.

Spiderweb glimmers on each crystal thorn.
Somehow, the spiders that weave in your eyes
Stitch through the rents in a soul long forlorn,
Bring gentle darkness to long sun-seared skies.

Rare is true feeling, true love rare indeed;
Most joy is only surcease from long pain.
Your presence wakens a long-dormant seed;
Your caress echoes hyenas' refrain.

Scars of old agony tangle and lace;
Shadowed red veins in the heart of the rose.
Some day, Tarinka, watch this jackal's face
Knowing she feels twenty times what she shows.