lover & friend

the eyes of a friend
the look of a lover

the hands of a friend
the touch of a lover

the mind of a friend
the thoughts of a lover

does the friendship begin
when the loving ends?

will the friendship
fuel the love?

or will the love
quench the friendship?

can both co-exist
one with the other?

or will one have to stand out
and serve as the measure?

i have heard of
friends turning into lovers
and lovers being just friends

can this be true to us?
or are we just fooling ourselves?

during the dawn
when i find myself awake
i fear of losing
that love
and that friendship

could i bear losing one
and not the other?
but i'd rather suffer so

than both turning over to anger
and not being able to see you
with the eyes of a friend
and the look of a lover

but could our friendship
stand the strain
of an ambiguous love affair?

could our love
stand the strain
of being limited to friendship?

i could not answer
how i long for answers
for if i could just glimpse
beyond the mist which envelopes me

and not cause pain
in exchange for the duties i must keep
i would unchain my heart
i would let it be free

i would let it be free
to stay with thee

but i know not
and i foresee nothing

so i would rather bear
the burden of letting go
a lover
in hopes of keeping
a friend

than to lose both
if one or both of us
could no longer endure
when neither friendship
nor love is no longer enough

when time comes
that our being together
must come to an end
whether as lovers
or as friends