I.
I am wrapped up
in these arms.
His kisses meet
my skin like
Snowflakes.
Each distinctive
and
Exceptional,
but bunched
together is flurries of excitement.
I’m sinking,
sinking deeper
into the sweet quicksand his love.
I am wrapped up in
this heart.
II.
Love is wearing
the exact right prescription of contact lenses.
Or the perfect
dimensions in a pair of glasses.
Love is that
moment when the world turns from a blur of colors
Into new
textures you want to reach out and touch.
Love is when you
stop running into things in dark hallways
And maneuver
around sharp corners with grace.
With love, he is
beautiful.
With love, she
is beautiful.
With love, I am
beautiful.
III.
You were the
third person to hold me on the day I entered this world.
You probably
told mom and dad you wanted a brother
and disliked
they way I squirmed
in your arms.
Grandma says you
giggled when I sucked on your finger.
When I was five,
I fell off the swing set in the park.
My knee split
open on a rock and I screamed.
You took off
your shirt and wrapped it around my knee tightly to stop the bleeding.
After I realized
I wasn’t dying and walked home, you washed the dirt out of my cut and found me
a bandage.
I saw your shirt
wadded up in the trash can.
You told me it
was an old shirt anyway.
But it wasn’t.
In 8th
grade, you had a girlfriend named Lily.
You met her
under the metal bleachers by the football field after school.
I sat nearby,
tearing apart individual blades of grass and waiting for my ride.
I looked away,
just like you said.
I was always
late for clarinet practice, but I didn’t tell mom and dad.
I promise.
One day, I heard
Lily say I was a little bit “freaky” and asked why I couldn’t wait in the car.
You didn’t meet
Lily under the bleachers the next day. Or any other day.
IV.
You could tell
me.
I would walk
into the school and tell the principal exactly what that kid did to you.
I would transfer
you to another school where you could get a fresh start.
I would sign you
up for karate to learn self-defense to make you safe again.
I would take you
to your favorite restaurant and try to make you laugh.
Because I love
you. Fiercely.
You could tell
me.
I would call all
over town to find the best doctor or counselor or support group.
I would take on
an extra job to pay for medication that stops that pain.
I would cry with
you and hold you in my arms and never let you go if it helped.
I would tie you
down and personally drive you to get help even if you hated me.
Because I love
you. Unconditionally.
V.
There’s an
abandoned house on the end of our street
where we used to
play hide and go seek.
Our parents used
to caution us about getting too close.
Because “It’s
going to fall down one of these days.”
When it rains,
the roof carries the water away,
leaving the
bricks dry and safe.
In exchange the
solid brick foundation holds up the roof.
Keeps it from
caving in when it feels weak.
I walked by
today and the bricks were free of mildew,
the roof still
held off the ground.
Holding each
other together,
against all
odds,
after all these years.
And a group of
kids were playing hide and go seek.
VI.
She was my
girlfriend the year I broke my ankle.
When I threw a book
so hard it broke my bedroom window.
When I failed
biology.
When we had to
put Sparky to sleep.
She was my
girlfriend when I bought my car.
When I beat
every stage of Zelda.
When we went to
our first prom.
When I finally
passed biology.
VII.
He’s still here.
It’s been hours.
Tick. Tick.
Tick.
Is he staring at
the clock?
Counting the
seconds?
My eyes travel
Up his arm
To his eyes.
Nope.
He’s staring at
me.
He comes back
The next day
And the day
after that.
The page flips
On the calendar.
New month,
New season,
Still here.
Calling,
driving, messaging.
Wanting to be
Together.
VIII.
I know that you
love sour gummy worms
and prefer
Ruffles to Lays.
I know that you
listen to Death Cab for Cutie
and sometimes
secretly Nicki Minaj.
I know that you
cried watching Marley and Me
and have seen Mean Girls at least 30 times.
I know that you
are afraid of public speaking
but more afraid
of being alone.
I know that
driving during rush hour freaks you out
but driving is
also an escape from home.
I know that
you’re desperate to keep my love forever
but also scared
to hold on too tight.
I know that
you’d never tell any of my secrets
even when you’re
mad.
I know that
you’d pick me up anywhere
even during rush
hour.
I know that you
will always love me
even when you
don’t say so.
IX.
Love is….
The applause
pushing you to run faster
The story
begging to be written down
The scent of
bacon on a very early morning
The paycheck
after a long week
The cliffhanger
at the end of the chapter
The beating of your
heart that goes on and on
The destination
starred on a map
The genuine
“thank you” for what you’ve done.
Love is the
reason.
X.
There is a tree
in front of our
house. It’s been there every day of my life.
I was infatuated with it as a child,
I was infatuated with it as a child,
grazing my
fingers over the fragile green needles.
As I grew, it
grew with me. Every summer,
I would set up
the sprinkler in just the right
spot, giving it
the attention it deserved.
When I came home
from school, it was always there,
stable, but
slowly transforming.
Today, those
once tender branches reach
to the sky. I
can’t even see the whole thing.
But I know it’s
there, that big tree.
in front of our
house.
XI.
You’re the one I
called when I got an A on my presentation and when I crashed my car
into a pole.
You’re the one I
would choose
if I won a free
cruise for two or could only have one
emergency
contact.
You’re the one I
drove
to the Taylor
Swift concert for your birthday
and to the
doctor’s office when you had pnemonia.
You’re the one I
would hug if you don’t get the job
Or if I am
nervous about what I’m doing with
my life.
You’re the one I
think about most in my dreams
in my classes,
on vacation,
at work.
You’re the one
with whom I will share
my joys, sorrow,
frustrations,
and my love.
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