While wading through the afternoon,
An afternoon of orange and quiet,
I passed a tree engulfed in white blooms,
Their purity stark against the textured green that cradled them.
Beautifully, enticingly fragrant—
Their slowly wilting petals alighting their branched vessel,
Blanketing the grass in a Florida winter’s snow.

I loved the tree,
Became submerged in my own infatuation,
And as I watched its silky snowfall grace the shivering earth,
I knew that I had always loved it,
And that it had always loved me.

I am both fascinated and
Terrified by you,
And the way that you move me
With the subtleties of your being.
And I suppose I forgot that my heart could beat faster
Than its usual, too-steady,
Too-predictable pace.
You remind me that
Nothing is predictable.
You remind me of the person I am
In my favorite dreams
After which I wake up
Disappointed,
Simply because they are over.
I never feel more alive,
More wholeheartedly present in a fleeting moment,
Than when it is you
With whom I share it.
The purest warmth I’ve ever known
Is the closest I’ve ever been to your chest,
And it is there that I know I am home,
Drinking in the glow
Of everything that you are.
I touch you and
Forget immediately how to be anything
But yours.
I touch you and
Realize immediately that there is no way to be
That could ever be enough.
My favorite mystery,
You defy normality
In every possible way.
You are a beautiful
Anomaly.

I miss tan lines and passing notes in class and
Jumping on trampolines
I miss summer vacations and the three of us playing video games on the same couch and
The way Christmas used to feel

I miss late night milkshakes and moonlit drives and
The sensation of your hand in mine
I miss playing outside for hours and giggling in the backseat and
The way Christmas used to feel

I miss long bike rides and running through the sprinklers and
Catching tadpoles in the rain
I miss pancake breakfasts and hiding all day in blanket forts and
The way Christmas used to feel

I miss make-your-own-pizza nights and trick-or-treating and
The sound of laughter in every room
I miss golf cart rides and and hugs that last too long and
The way Christmas used to feel