Words Betray Me

I can say "I love you,"
And it is not a lie,
But it is
not
nearly
enough.

"I wish I could live in your heart."
That comes closer.
Growing roots into your
capillaries,
Sending verdant shoots
up
into your
ventricles,
Letting my leafy boughs
Breath oxygen
Into your blood--
what a gift
it would be to
always
provide for you.
But it is
still
not
enough.

"I feel every ounce of your pain in my own soul."
This approaches the sum of things.
My nervous system
Can no longer distinguish
Between your electrical current
and mine.
Every ache and anguish
Flows into me,
Sending lightning into my fingertips--
"Go to the Beloved!
Touch, soothe, be
Healed!"
But it is
never
enough.

And so these words betray me.
I can say "I love you,"
And it is not a lie,
But it is
not
nearly
enough.