Its permanency etched  
In the unopened letters sitting on his dresser
In the watermarks staining his sister's pillow case
In the creased brow of his stoic brother restraining a tear
In the deep blue circles surrounding his daughter's eyes
As she tosses and turns in a restless slumber

Its permanency etched
In the inscription on a piece of stone
In the prayers to an unfamiliar God
In the weeping eyes of a best friend
As they comfort his beloved, groveling blindly through the darkness unable to locate the missing piece to the gaping void in her heart

I’ve fallen in love
Not with a man
Nor a woman

But with the tiny etchings scribbled across the margins of my notebook
With the lyrics of a lover
With the heartsong of humanity

I’ve fallen in love
Not with a man
Nor a woman

But with the words that echo across a parchment
With the fancies of a fighter
With the doo-wops of a dame

I’ve fallen in love
Not with a man
Nor a woman

But with the capacity they have to empower
To speak to the girl staring down at the pages
Soaking in every word, every phrase she can remember

I’ve fallen in love
With poetry