I don’t like saying “I love you”
May it be at the
Height of passion or
A passing, daily fancy
I don’t like saying “I love you”.

I would rather
Tread close against
Your warmth,
Hard-pressed in the
Outdoor rain,
I would rather laugh
Uninhibitedly, loud
Loud enough that those who play
Among the clouds
Hear my joy,
I would rather steal
The sadness off your
Chapped lips ‘til
Every mem’ry is but a shadow
Of yesteryear’s
Pain

I don’t like saying “I love you”
May it be before the
Gates of heaven or
Against the blindfold of
Darkness,
I don’t like saying “I love you”.
We owe our love
More than that.

You stare at me through the cage walls,

Your eyes full of wonder

And heart filled with love.

Your hands hit the glass that separates me from you,

Or you from me.

And you stare

Like I’m some kind of zoo animal.



You’ve dreamed all your life, since you were three

To see me in my natural habitat,

But since my old home is all gone,

Destroyed.

Ruined.

Burned.

Your dreams have changed.



You paid ten dollars,

But what is one Alexander Hamilton

Compared to the experience

To come see me in action,

Licking my paws and ears

As I sit here, bored

In a cage that resembles nothing but a fake home made of plastic and

Fake rocks.



There is a show at noon.

I’ll have to go to a separate cage, one with a view from above.

And you and a hundred others

Will watch in amazement while I chase raw meat that’s dragged around a pole.

You laughed and say it’s funny, awesome, how fast I am.

You should have seen me when I was home.

I was better.

I chased real food.



It wouldn't be so bad

Except for the fact that your world seems to romanticize the idea

That I would want to be stared at

To have you stare at me through a glass wall

While I sit there,

In my cage

Bored.

Out of my natural mind.

But, it's all for your entertainment, right?

I mean, all you paid was a single Alexander Hamilton.



And now,

You stand there after I’m back in my original cage.

You stare

On the other side of that glass wall,

The one that protects you from me,

Or me from you.

And you stare

Like I’m some kind of zoo animal.

And then,
As the moon glowed in the distance,
casting my shadow against the nearest wall
and the rain continued to pitter patter against my roof,
creating soft, iridescent music to my ears,
and the street light began to flicker,
placing a darkened shadow against my sullen face,
I began to realize
that our existence,
all high and mighty that it is,
isn't so bright and fabulous after all.
And that we are all just a tiny blip
in the existence of time.

This is a story about falling in love.
About finding that one person in your life that makes you feel like you, not like someone trying to be you.
About that one person, that when they enter the room, makes your heart hit a brick wall going one-hundred miles an hour.
That one human being that makes the tiny peach fuzz on your arm stand on end whenever their name leaves your lips,
and makes your face as red as a jewelry store garnet whenever your eyes meet.
That one person that makes your voice stutter, your tongue hold itself at the back of your mouth even when they’re standing all the way across the room, unaware of your reaction to their presence.
About the one person that when you say their name, you can’t help but smile like you never have before.
This is a story about finding your soul mate.
About finding that one person that you can’t live without: that if you go a single day without seeing them, it feels like a year in a different country.
About that one person that makes you feel intoxicated, high, full of life when they’re around.
That one person that causes your hands to shake uncontrollably when they’re near.
This is a story about falling in love… with someone that may not love you back.