For years I have averted my gaze. For years I have walked away. Why then do I find it so hard to do what I have done for years?

Have you heard her speak? Have you felt the merriment behind her laughter? Resist as you might, they shall fill your senses. Still you will grimace in joy. And shudder in bliss.

Is the heart weaker than the body? Do they not always say to push past your physical limits by sheer will-power alone? So how can I tell myself to hold fast against the wild winds of passion? Try as I might, my efforts are void, my strains to no avail. There is no way out of this mess. Only a path deeper into it.

How then shall I decline the longings of my heart? How can you ask me to avert my gaze? How can you tell me to walk away?