The Punishment (Continuation to The Path)

"...With slow fire he burns me thus, smiting me to the bone..."
- An extract from Theocritus's Serenade

You're doing it again;

"shooting your arrows of attention at my currently most praised deer"
- is this my reward for my innocent care?
Then be it!
Fine. Have it your way;
Be as cold as you like.
Do your best superior looks.
Utter not a single word my way.
Punish me by ignoring my existence.
You do that all already very well.
Yes, be superior and treat me like a slave,
though you shall never tie your chains around me.
We were at the same level of equality;
and now you let this kind gesture of mine change your nature?
Pathetic! Pathetic you are,
seeking safety in the Lands of Punishment and Hurt
instead of letting your feelings out of their chains,
the ones you've given them in order to keep your "Pride".
I have made myself vulnerable, at your mercy-
evidently you let your reason misguide your heart,
but I believe your distant behaviour hides the Known.
I wonder: how much longer will you wear this mask
until I will hear your heart beating when you speak?
And I answer: not long.