Sonnet 68 'It's Fine, I Will But Bow and Then Step Back'

It’s fine – I will but bow and then step back, And know the lips that kiss yours won’t be mine A man knows better than to see a lack, When gifts of other virtue toward him shine. And yet, love dies not easily in me, But longs for what I cannot, may not, have. Though life’s Reality I clearly see, My heart still seeks your comfort like a salve. Yet, I’ll remove my shadow from your wake – I will not chase, pursue, nor hope, nor dream Nor fantasies allow, I’ll eat my cake! I’ll manage all I feel as a man should And step a step back, cry and call it good.