How Long is Agony

how long
before
my waking
thoughts
are not
forged
in the
shape
of you

how long
before
I can walk
this town
and hold my
head high
instead of gazing at
the pavement
to avoid
every street sign
and
cafe, all
shrines
to the memory
of you

how long
must I live
in silence
because the
brook in
full flow
the cry of the Tui
and every song
I hear
on the radio
is just another
nail in this
heart
that holds
the writhing
pain of you

how long until
my last soft
word
before sleep
is not your
name
uttered,
like a
dying
prayer
to some distant
deity

how long until
that name is
no more than
4 letters
consisting
of one syllable
three consonants
and a vowel

how long
until
you become
just
another
love
poem.....