smile loveYevgeny Yevtushenko Love unrequited is a crushing yoke but if you see love as game trophy then love’s absurd joke- like Cyrano de Bergerac’s odd profile. One day hard-boiled Russian in the theater said to his wife words that clearly hurt her: 'Why does this upset all? The fool! Now I for instance I would never allow some bitch get me fever... I’d simply find another one- that’s all.' Behind wife’s reproachful eyes there gleamed beaten widowed look of desperation. From every pore her husband oozed it seemed lethal sweat crude self-satisfaction. How many are him- great healthy men who lacking capacity suffer call women 'chicks' or 'broads' sounds much tougher. Yet am not myself bit them? We yawn and play at shabby little passions discarding hearts though they’re last year’s fashions afraid tragedy pay. And no doubt being weaklings whenever we so often force our feelings take easier less binding way. hear inner coward whining from murky depths my impulse undermining: 'Hey careful now don’t involved...' weakly line least resistance lose who knows sheer lack persistence priceless chance love. A man who’s clever can use head always count on response women poor Cyrano’s chivalry’s dead: men show now women. In you’re either chivalrous All one law stand indicted: can’t with unrequited cannot love-no matter what do. God grant us grace may know pain fruitless longing unreturned emotion delightful torment wait vain: hapless happiness vain devotion. For secretly I’m longing be brave warm ice-cold heart passion’s burning lukewarm affairs enmeshed rave hopeless yearning.