Silence is a Golden Burden

Silence is a golden burden.
Cross my heart and lock it tight;
Always hoping for the moment,
Always fearing that I might
Chance upon a meeting with you,
Fall immediat'ly at your feet..
Silence is a golden burden,
But a burden, oh, so sweet.

What would happen if I told you?
(Although I think that you know
Already what I'd say to you;
My poor heart is so aglow
Whenever I behold you that
It spills out into my eyes,
Choking my throat, tying my tongue,
Turning all my breath to sighs.)

Would you look at me and simply
Laugh at me and pat my head,
Patronizing girlish fancy?
Or, while wishing I were dead,
You'd turn away from me, sneering,
Disgusted with me. Although,
Maybe what I'm really fearing
Is completely opposite:

You would tell me "yes", and hold me,
And we'd never be apart.
Every little thing you told me
I'd keep close next to my heart.
I would tell you all my secrets;
From you, nothing would I hide.
My soul would be laid bare to you
Despite all I'd erstwhile tried.

But I know that our love so true
Would soon start to wane and fade;
And in silence once again, my
Broken heart would be remade.
If I wrote you a love letter,
Dearest mine, would you reply?
Ever wishing, ever hoping,
Hoping for an alibi.

I'll claim I'll be rejected now,
Or, if not, rejected then.
Truly better to love than lose,
I'll keep silent once again.
And I'll keep my golden burden,
Ever fearing for "what if?"
With my heart forever burning,
With my mask forever stiff.

And I sit and write love letters
Never meant for your sweet eyes,
Tie them tight with my broken heart
And set them safely aside
In some forgotten dresser drawer
Where they'll never see the light.
Silence is a golden burden;
Cross my heart and lock it tight.