I notice you.

"It's in stone."

you used to say

about your plans.

"Stones break."

I would proclaim.

"Not this stone."

You said it so certainly.

Without hesitation.

You rarely made it easy,

often dismissive,

and

three years later

I can tell you this.

You were right.

I couldn’t break you.

So,

good for you

for following through.

The hole

it left in me

I mend with sandpaper.

Missing you

and breathing

are the same thing now,

but darling,

know this,

along the way,

I fell in love

with your edges

they cut like feathers

rough like fleece

thornless hawthorn branches

as hot as ice

you embody contradictions

I understand you

most of the time

lost in your magic 8 ball eyes

non-committal replies

"reply hazy, try again"

"better not tell you now"

I'll shake you

like a snowglobe

up and down

side to side

til I get your "yes"

the boulders in my life

reduce to pebbles

when I think of you

my reason why

granite gargoyles

copy my pose

the way I perch

infinitely

waiting for you

my love

my only source

weathered mountains drip rivers

collecting in thirsty streams

my waters run stagnant

craving your chaos

your tactile waves

your assertive pour

lusting after caramel

remove the dam

your absence left

you are the mirror

to all divine

if your heart

was a glass piñata

I'd scar myself

picking up your pieces

leaking crimson

you are not broken

remember that

as I'm left

with memories

chiseling away

chipping marble

I bleed onto paper

words you withhold

you let fear choke you

but I let you breathe

your white wine voice

gets me red wine drunk

the way my name

rolls off your tongue

like roller-skates on tennis courts

learn it backwards

I’ll be there to guide you

we’ll take it slowly

as the days we have left

dwindle quickly

I pull you in

carress your spine

tap your nerves

like piano keys

manly hands

worn from digging

I sifted through gemstones

finding turquoise

your December soul

I dine with nostalgia

chewing pomegranates

to taste your lips again

remembering picnic tables

that felt like duvets

watching constellations

I shatter hourglasses

sand and time

slip through my fingers

they learned from you

soft evasion

lovelorn aching

ballpoint pens

on paper roses

that never die

sharpies on skin

scribing lovers

ephemeral vows

your sweet nothings

mean everything

to me

honey in my ears

she loves me

she loves me not

I corrupt nature

plucking silky petals

nature's guitar strings

the same old chord

serenades me silently

the way you do

in quiet temperament

yellow heart

black nail polish

dark attire

small town girl

big city whirl

heart in disguise

you run and hide

pretend that I

don't make your thighs

feel like a Slip 'N Slide