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THE DIFFERENCE, by                    
First Line: So you call that a kiss, when, in token of parting
Last Line: When matched with the ones of my castle in air.
Subject(s): Love


SO you call that a kiss, when, in token of parting,
Your lips touched my own with such tremulous fear;
When haste took for wages the most of the honey
And whispered that danger and peril were near.

So you call that a kiss! Let me paint for a minute,
The home of my fancy, my castle of rest,
Where—all the bright dreams of my life stored within it—
I linger for hours with the friends I love best.

The lamps shed a light like the soft glow of moonbeams,
The air breathes warm odors of spice and of balm,
Not a sound breaks the hush, and the spirit, in rapture,
Folds round it the mantle of heavenly calm.

You are there in the stillness and some one beside you,
We 'll say, for the dream's sake, the one you love best,
She is kneeling beside you, your arms are around her,
Her head on your shoulder is pillowed in rest.

You smooth the soft tresses away from her forehead,
Her breath, sweet as summer, floats over your cheek.
You tighten your clasp as you murmur, "My darling,
I am weary and faint for the kisses I seek."

She turns her face toward you, her large eyes uplifted,
Dilated, and dark, with a passionate fire;
And her rich, dewy lips, in their innocent fondness,
Fill up in full measure your cup of desire.

O moment ecstatic—renewed and repeated!
Alas! weary world, with your burden of care,
Your raptures are coldness, your kisses are failures,
When matched with the ones of my castle in air.





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