Lois

I am The Mightiest Man On Earth, so they all tell me.

I am the Man Of Steel&;#8230;

But she is the woman of straw.

I am invulnerable to everything: knives, bullets, artillery-shells,
nitro-glycerine, laser fire, nothing hurts&;#8230;

Except for a broken heart. Except for unrequited love.

I can hear individual molecules colliding if I want to, hear the
distant pulsing of far away stars&;#8230;

But I have never heard the words "I love you" from that one special
person.

I watch her from afar. From beyond the orbit of Jupiter in fact. I can
see her every movement. I can see right through her, right into her
body&;#8230;

But I cannot see into her soul.

I can see dust grains on Pluto, see microbes, see whole worlds thriving
within atoms&;#8230;

But I have never seen her look at me with anything resembling
affection.

I can crush titanium, change the course of rivers, lift mountain ranges
and juggle planets&;#8230;

But can I bend a stubborn woman's will ? Can I enjoy a woman's love
without grinding her bones to dust in a passionate embrace ?

I can outrun a locomotive, a speeding bullet, light
itself&;#8230;

But I cannot make her heart beat faster.

She is in love with the red and blue spandex costume, the dashing,
swirling cape, the swashbuckler's boots&;#8230;

She doesn't look twice at the real me. The me who wears the blue,
woollen suit and the spectacles. The me who has unassuming mild manners
and the demeanour of a boy scout.

I am the last survivor of a dying planet. I am alone on a spinning
globe of six billion beings.

All alone&;#8230;

I once tried to kill myself in the heart of an exploding star on the
far edge of a far galaxy.

I merely gave myself a tan.

I am The Man Of Tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after
that&;#8230;

I have not changed physically in over sixty years. My friends, the ones
I love&;#8230; the ones I loved&;#8230; have come and gone.

And she will also die soon. And I cannot prevent it. I am not God, even
though people across the globe worship me. Even though she worships
me.

But I can fight. I can defeat insurmountable odds; I have proved that
time after time&;#8230;

And, if it comes to it, I can fight God for her life.

And if I lose ? If He defeats me ?

Then we, she and I, we will be together.

For tomorrow.

And the day after.

And the day after that&;#8230;