All Too Brief (Poetry)

Too few the days I spent with you
I wish we’d had more time
my share was just a part of you
you never were all mine
and if I’d ever dreamt I’d yearn
the way I do today
I would have given all I had
in hope that you would stay

Instead I squandered carelessly
what passion failed to save
enjoyed the while it lasted —
each donation that you gave
imagining I could accept
the modern woman’s view —
a brief diverting interlude
designed for passing through

You soon moved on without a qualm
to make some other life
while I indulge the fantasy
that you’d made me your wife
too few the nights I spent with you
my heart knows well the score
I count them up — those days and nights
and wish for thousands more