They say the greatest love story of all time
were star-crossed lovers bound to suicide
As hermit Lancelot thought back on his crime
did Guinevere, the nun, wish they never tried?

I wonder when Paris was slain in battle
if he envisioned Helen by his brother
And when Cleopatra welcomed that rattle
did she know Antony would choose no other?

The woe Lady Hamilton must have felt
being barred from Lord Nelson’s burial
A mausoleum was the last hand dealt
as the Taj Mahal lovers soar aerial

When Henry moved heaven and Earth for Anne
could he foresee her, by his wish, beheaded?
Dante saw Beatrice twice in his lifespan
never talked, never touched, never wedded

These great loves lead me to a question and thus:
how could there ever have been a chance for us?

Gregory Cioffi (SAG-AFTRA, AEA) is a professional actor, an award-winning director, professor, and published author. His debut novel The Devil in the Diamond was released in 2023 by Henry Gray Publishing. His stories have been archived in numerous libraries including Yale University’s Beinecke Collection (Rare Books and Manuscript Library). Greg is an Adjunct Professor of English at Long Island University, an Associate Professor of Literature & Composition at Post University, and teaches Creative Writing, Poetry, and Basic Acting at Nassau Community College