Earthbound

I can't seem to find the right assortment of letters

to make up the words

which form the sentences

that morph into paragraphs

that shape the story

that would reveal to you

the truth of how I feel.

-

So I waded through poetry,

seeking to ignite my befuddled soul.

-

Then I thought to borrow some lyrics,

but in my mouth they felt false.

-

I could always paint a picture,

a thousand words and all—

but I guess I'm not really an artist

so it might confuse you more.

-

I wish that I was better

at linking my heart

and head

and mouth.

-

I wish I didn't feel so much pressure

to make this revelation profound.

-

But I really wanted it to be,

you know?

-

After all I've gotten wrong,

yet I can't even figure out how to tell you

that you're my calm in every storm.

-

Or that I'd always thought that love

meant being swept off of the ground

until you showed me that it's gravity

with both feet firmly earthbound.

-

You held my vulnerability

softly in outstretched hands.

I never knew that was what it meant to be a man.

-

It was that man that created space

for my heart to evolve

and revealed to me that much of

what we are taught of love is wrong.