I swam in your ocean, Anna.
I drank the salt of your skin
until it gave me hallowed sickness.

I told you,
I was never good at staying anyone's friend.
I spent three weeks convincing you I'd try.
When I didn't succeed, why did you act surprised?

You keep shifting shape.
And that isn't fair.

I got tangled in your weeds, Anna.
I struggled and howled,
you talked with warmth, ran fingers in my hair.

I told you,
I wouldn't live past thirty-five,
you said,
I wouldn't make it to twenty-five,
I told you,
I was evil,
you told me,
you were eviler.
I told you,
I was evilest,
you said,
**** superlatives.

I saw you drown yourself in yourself, Anna.
Wallowing in the cold wind
of one demented abecedarian.

You keep shifting shape.
And that isn't fair.

I told you,
to keep your feet moving,
you said,
I needed to stop talking,
I told you,
I was ready to marry you,
you said,
I would never escape my
ex-girl collection,
I told you,
Anna, if I can't have you
you're going to destroy you,
you said,
you'd like to see you try.

Let your waves crash against me,
let your wind carve,
I will say I love you,
until one of us dies.

Would you miss me
if I was no longer here
would you notice I was missing
would you even shed a tear

Would you think back
to all the things you never said
would you find time to write that letter
would you wish it had been read

Would you follow me
or try to find out where I'd gone
would you wish you'd made the effort
would you admit you got it wrong

Would you wish now
that you'd decided not to wait
Would you read this in the future
and curse you were too late?

To me love is quite simple,
not a complicated thing,
sometimes written on a paper,
and sealed with a ring.

Sometimes carved into an oak tree,
or written out in verse.
Sometimes spoken in the words,
for better or for worse.

But all those things just demonstrate,
to others how you feel.
They are not what love is all about.
They are not what makes it real.

Real love is not just passion,
not just desire and not just lust.
Real love involves integrity,
honesty and trust.

Real love is truly everything,
and holding nothing back.
It is there in times of plenty,
and grows in times of lack.

Its the first thing that you feel,
at the start of every day,
and its with you all the time,
in what you do and what you say.

Its the reason for that smile,
that just appears on your face.
Its why you sometimes end up laughing,
wiping tears from your face.

Its that midnight warm embrace,
that soothes you as you sleep.
Its a feeling oh so wonderful,
that will sometimes make you weep.

Its the reason we accomplish,
things we never thought we could,
and find ourselves attempting,
things we swore we never would.

Love isn't just a part time thing,
in a lover that we chose.
It's a spiritual possession,
we don't ever want to lose.

I love you; its a secret,
don't let anybody know.
That's why when we are speaking,
I try not to let it show.

I double check each word I say,
before it leaves my lips,
and try to shake this image,
of my hands upon your hips.

So tell me how'm I doing?
Do you even have a clue,
that every waking thought I have,
is always about you?

I wish I could just tell you,
and know you wouldn't run.
But I'm scared this revelation,
would leave us both undone.

I love you; its a secret,
which to myself I'll keep,
cos the last thing that I wanna do,
is come off like a creep.

So I sit here and say nothing,
not knowing what to do.
Praying one day you will say,
just what I am to you.

I hold your pictures in my hand,
as if they were life itself.
Some torn, some bent, some broken glass,
where I swept them off the shelf.

But now that anger it has passed,
and tears they fill my eyes.
I know you never meant to go.
I too am dead, inside.

Why could we not have had more time,
together you and I?
Before your sickness came along,
and took you from my side.

You fought so hard to stay with me,
and smiled through the pain.
So beautiful and brave you were,
sunshine amongst the rain.

Always I will remember,
and treasure what we had.
The mem'ry of our time together,
makes me happy, makes me glad.

I wish that I could follow you,
but here for now must stay.
To tell our baby of her mom,
and why she went away.

And tears come now not just to me,
as Rachael starts to cry.
I will kiss and hold her close for you,
goodbye my love, goodbye.

I like the way you say my name.
When you call it, I listen.
You say my name like
you know what you're talking about.

My name,
it feels safe in your mouth.
It was born and raised there.
It's whole family is there and
it had block parties
with all seventeen cousins there.

My name spent bathing suit summers
running through sprinklers
just behind your teeth.

It's comfortable there.
I know my name always has a bed
under your tongue.

Even if you couldn't
say my name ever again,
I know I'd still like the way you say my name.

I like the way you say my name.