Greco-Roman

you somehow seem very Greco-Roman to me

I've been to the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain, it's true
it's true.
Walked through crowds of people on sweltering Roman streets
looking to find a glimpse of something beautiful enough
to fill the emptiness inside of me
momentarily, heavenly, temporarily.

I said to you once in the foolishness of love
that you had the body of a god
and I hope that you knew that then
and I hope you know you sent my soul to heaven 
when you touched me
in June sun so long ago beneath blackout curtains
sweating on your bed in the suburbs.
And even now I say, I think
you somehow seem 
very Greco-Roman to me.

I've been to the Pantheon and Vatican, it's true.
I've seen the places you most dream of seeing
and I covered my shoulders and took no pictures inside
stared up at the ceiling, absorbed myself in a single moment
held myself above the world, suspended
told myself that I was now enlightened.

You were that marble column
strange and hard beneath me.
I felt that my life was dead and nothing
if you couldn't fill me up again
if you couldn't take the emptiness inside of me and break me open
until all I had to hold was everything you had to give to me.

I did try to expand myself to hold you
God knows I humbled myself before you
did everything I could never to hurt you
begged you to let me love you again.

Once my love, once my life, you should know
all of the great art in this world 
could only ever do so much for me
but equally
there was only so long I could stumble lost 
around ancient European cities
without this world seeing me, touching me
marble columns moving again beneath me
breathing my soft body back to life
if you wouldn't hold me
if you wouldn't feel me.

But you should know
even though the stars in my eyes have gone out for you
well still, you are really very dark and Roman to me
and our love, so Greek somehow in its tragedy
and what can I say? I think
even now, you somehow seem
very Greco-Roman to me.