I miss falling in love

I miss falling in love

the pit of my stomach tangled

like my hands in your hair

and with just a glance

you turned my gut

into a carousel

without a kill switch

and left me spinning

you used to say

I made you feel like

you were on the Tower of Terror

in endless anticipation,

waiting for that drop,

and I was in awe

of your cleverness,

because I felt it too,

how you could

scatter my insides

like fruits in a blender

and your blades were sharp,

but it wouldn’t be love

if it wasn’t painful,

like how you couldn’t say

what you wanted to,

but still found

your charming substitutes,

like on November 30,

when you said it was

the best time of year

to fall in love,

and you always did

make me read

between the lines,

but your guarded diction

warmed my heart

on those cold nights

and made my soul ascend

like butterflies fleeing mason jars

captured by curious children

naive that liberation

augments their beauty

or songbirds escaping from

their silver cages

hitting their angelic pitches

when unrestrained

and the taste of freedom

came second

to your pomegranate lips

how with your delicate touch

you straightened the curve

of the ?

that was my life

into an !

how when you noticed me

gave my wandering soul

certainty that it was you

I was born to love