Come Close

This:

That fellow strikes me as a god's double,Couched with you face to face, delightingIn your warm manner, your amiableTalk and invitingLaughter—the revelation fluttersMy ventricles, my sternum and stomach.The least glimpse, and my lost voice stutters,Refuses to come backBecause my tongue is shattered. GauzyFlame runs radiating underMy skin; all that I see is hazy,My ears all thunder.Sweat comes quickly, and a shiverVibrates my frame. I am more sallowThan grass and suffer such a feverAs death should follow.But I must suffer further, worthlessAs I am ...