I can close my eyes and fall into you.
I can fall into that smile,
that s l o w, easy smile,
that used to make my heartbeatfast,
and my cheeks stain red.
Now it just elicits the same smile from me-
S l o w, easy, and maybe as beautiful as yours.

Beautiful because you stuck by me

even when I told you about the other thing
that makes my heartbeatfast-


how cold fingers sometimes slip around my chest
and squeeze down so that I can’t breathe.
Your smile finds those fingers in the shadows
and chases them away.

And you have told me again and again
how much it hurts you
to have loved and lost,
and I know that it hurts
to never love at all,
So maybe we can put our hurts and hearts together
and just

love.