Hidden

Buried treasures kept in the heart's deepest chambers
are only excavated when mining so deeply and faithfully
during prospecting trips using a devotion's map showing intimacy's secret caves.

Labor of fidelity finds ore never known nor located
when panning in streams of one night stands,
unable to cherish discoveries unearthed while sharing the night of the soul
unfound during fleeting times of pitching passion's tents in motels
as nothing more than a camping trip
instead of love's homesteading.

Playing emotional claim jumper on another's relationship stake
doesn't bring permanent residence in companionship's abode.

One can amount a legion of romance myths
from quest for the mother load of ecstasy,
but it reveals true worth
when nuggets are weighed at conscience's assay office.

All the labor to get rich in satisfaction
leaves one alone in regret's saloon
clutching memory's bag of fool's gold affairs
entertained by dance hall gals of denial,
sipping on loneliness' whiskey.