i, having loved ever since i
was a child a few things,
never having wavered in these affections,
never through shyness in the houses of the rich
or in the presence of clergymen having denied these loves;
never when worked on by cynics like chiropractors
having grunted or clicked a vertebra to the discredit of these
loves;
never when anxious to land a job
having diminished them by a conniving smile;
or when befuddled by drink jeered at them through heartache
or lazily fondled the fingers of their alert enemies; declare
that i shall love you always