Simon Ashcroft<p>Bound </p><p>I am not free, faced<br>with tears, and yearning sorrow,<br>nor hearing laughter;<br>when you weep, I must hold you,<br>and wait, in your deep silence.</p><p>Nor can I leave you<br>when you overflow with joy,<br>and forget darkness;<br>your light is mine, as your night,<br>and my desire holds me there.</p><p>This is how I love –<br>feeling the shadows in me<br>answer those in you;<br>bearing, in my soul, your pain,<br>your joy, so you aren’t alone.</p><p>© Simon J Ashcroft, 2025</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/SJAshcroftsPoems" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SJAshcroftsPoems</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/poems" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>poems</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/poetry" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>poetry</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/PoetryCommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PoetryCommunity</span></a></p>