When you hurt, i hurt too
Though i never show it
When you are down i feel blue too
Though you'd never know it

I cant cry in front of you
It makes me seem so weak
As a kid i donned the cape
I was no longer meek

You had so much to deal with then
I pretended i was fine
Never let a teardrop fall
I never crossed that line

When you were hurt
Id pick you up and start the mediation
Let's do this, let's do that
We'll sort the situation

This was never asked of me
I took it on myself
Now it seems in protecting you
I've distanced myself

I love you above all else
I really hope you know
Even though i find tough to show.

You sure like to
Take things slow.
Lead-mouthed kisses,
Long meals,
Leisurely dates.
You're taking my sweet time
Getting here.

I'll forgive you when you do.

I don't know if you'll understand
What's going into all my waiting.
All the solitary nights-
My undented mattress.
My cold hands
Hanging at my sides.
My eyes-- seeking.

The promise of you on my shoulders.

I am pinning parts of you
Onto any girl around
Worth pining over.
Or any girl around
Long enough
For me to
Get a glimpse of you through.

A coveting kaleidoscope.

I worry about time.
About giving the good
Bits of myself
To other girls-
Mistaking them for you.
What if I do,
And don't get them back?

What if I meet you empty-handed?

I know,
I'm a silly 17
Year-old.
And you are
25. Or 43. Or 80.
But hey,
I like older ladies.

Please love me, 17 year-old sweet-talker.

Pick yourself up,
Out of your bed-
Undented.
Wear warm gloves.
Kiss cute girls
(Or guys.)
Wander around.

*I'll be waiting for you.

Drag me in, please.
Make me dance the night away.

Push me over the cliff,
so I'll no longer fear the fall.

Take my hand, please, make us both smile.

The world is seldom a happy place,
but I'd rather like to enjoy it with you tonight.

don’t you know? your body
is made of stardust—i see
it glimmering in you.
don’t you know? you are
not too much, you are not
too little, you are an
entire world; you are
mountains, you are trees,
you are the gentle-moving
tides and the soft-curving river,
you are the ever-still lake.
don’t you know? the craters
in your skin are no less
beautiful than the ones that
kiss the moon’s surface.
don’t you know? there are
nebulae inside your chest,
and they glow, they glow,
they glow—you are never
alone in the darkness, love.
don’t you know? the night
sky twinkles along you,
the northern lights oscillate
as you breathe.
don’t you know? don’t you
know? you are beautiful;
you are your own galaxy.

you are something akin to
a final shot of tequila on sunday night.
i wake up in the morning
push the covers off my body
and regret you.

mom i know i can never make you understand but right now please just hold my hand