25/7/2023

25/7/2023

-

 he makes my heart race with joy

and eyes brim with tears

but to have someone

who makes you feel

feel so intensely like never before-

that must be love

looking at him sets my heart aflutter

but on my worse days

his gaze only puts me at ease

and to have someone

whose mere sight

reassures your panicked heart-

that must be love

when your heart stutters

each time you see his boyish grin

but also clenches

when his anguish overwhelms him

to feel both joy and sorrow

for another as you would yourself-

that must be love

to relish in the way

his hair and skin feel under your touch

and each brush of fingers

warm against cold;

calloused against soft;

leaving you aching for more-

that must be love

to wake to thoughts of him

and chase dreams of him

as you drift off into sleep

and do to him

all the things you wish you did

but never had the courage to-

that must be love

to lie alone in your bed

as night falls

and the clock ticks on

and to sit at your desk

as the birds twitter

and the ticking never stops

to dream of him all the same-

that must be love

to buy him his favourite drink

and to cherish every last drop

of the one he bought you

despite hating the way

it sits at the back of your throat-

that must be love

to lick off the last crumbs

of the chocolate he gave you

even though you dislike

the saccharine sweetness

and stickiness on your fingers

only because

he gave it to you-

that must be love

to simply gaze into his eyes

and find him looking back

into yours as if

you hung the stars

in his darkest skies

and look away

to avoid his piercing gaze-

that must be love

i have loved but once

but oh, i loved so dearly-

loved the way he smiled, he laughed, he grimaced, he wept.

and every time,

all i wished for

was to be there

to love him and him alone

for all that he is

bared to his deepest roots;

for the world, bar me,

to never catch but a glimpse of;

to have a love so tender and affectionate

full of hopes and dreams,

yet devastatingly intimate

all our griefs and sorrows

shared as one.

and to ache for this all

and much, much more

more than you could

ever possibly fathom-

what could it ever be

if not love?