Love.

Love is

     a quiet hug under a summer sky

     conversations in a hallway nearly falling asleep

     paper flowers and poetry in the rain

     walking lightly upon the earth

     cubes and ladders and horses and storms

Love is

     playing a piano and the notes become the words

     talking about dreams and princesses and angels and demons

     curling up like a cat with video games and lullabies

     a quiet kiss in the privacy of a full house

     messaging drunk and sober at all hours of the night

Love is

     finding the light to banish the darkness

     a quiet support through years of tumult

     saying hello every time no matter when or where

     knowing that you’ll miss me when I’m gone

     watching and dreaming together whatever might come

Love is

     seeing that you care so much, so deep

     softly speaking and understanding when I run

     sharing so much and yet so little

     letting me care, and lighting up my world if only for a moment

     a quiet innocence belying deep knowledge of truth

Love is

     a decision that you still make when only anything else seems right

     hitting rock bottom together and still making it through

     running together through time and space and leaving our mark

     the wind between the monoliths, a celestial hymn

     fire and feathers, life and laughter, being and meaning

     

Love.

Love is

     crying alone as dark loneliness creeps in

     my heart crumbling into shards again and again

     a puzzle always missing a piece as the pattern reshuffles

     one part returned, another relinquished

     cracks never healing, never again whole

Love is

     holding the hurt inside until it turns me into a monster

     endless cycle of loss with escape unproven

     always wanting to save the world, yet struggling to save just one friend

     repeatedly breaking the universe to keep a promise

     trying not to shatter when history repeats

Love is

     blindly looking in the wrong places for something to hold onto

     rushing into despair while clinging to a wild hope

     expecting the worst before anything good can happen

     aimlessly hovering over the abyss waiting for a change

     keeping one foot in front of the other so everything goes on

     

Love.

     

(Written May 16, 2023)