series2bk7.301

 

A boxer in the ring, on receipt of a heavy blow

below the heart, may totter round reeling

from real pain, gradually regaining a mere

appearance of composure, while dubious to reenter the fray.

     To betray my emotional vulnerability in love's

covert battle would surely undermine

my fine defensive stance, leaving me open

and groping to cope with whatever tactic she chooses.

     I must use my wits in the conduct of a long campaign,

remaining positioned where she never quite can tell,

smelling for signals on the wind, armed, and warily

prepared for any manoeuvre in her repertoire.

     The hobbled man can never go to war

     without a worsened fate than struck before.