Find a Poet Not a poser, not a "it's just a hobby" poet. Find one who mumbles lines as they scramble for a pen at breakfast; who shakes their head randomly when their thoughts aren't rhyming properly;  who has notebooks stashed around the house that you must never touch.
2. Listen Savor the spoken words, for those are harder to express. Keep in mind that they can't be edited and re-written, and be forgiving when a mistake is made.
3. Read The body speaks as loudly as words on a page do. When their eyes are closed or focused on the ceiling and the fingers are tapping out syllables, recognize the unique process. Respect the need for quiet, because if you look closely, you can read the poem on their face before they write it on the page.
4. Write Write your story together. Grab hold of the pen and hang on as you move across the page of life. Sometimes you will dance across, others you will be dragged. You may have to cross out a word, or a line, or a page, but don't give up. Discouragement is a poet's biggest enemy, inarticulateness their biggest fear. So end each day with a semi-colon, because the story will never end the way you think it will, and there must be room for more. There is always room for more, more words, more laughter, more tears, more love,
When you love a poet.

Her breath is soft
She mumbles
What? I say
I don't remember she replies clearly
And turns over
Still very much asleep
These are the nights I'll miss the most
Our legs intertwined.
So alike
And so different
I'm leaving in a month
I'll be all alone
And so will she
She's laughing now
I think it's a good dream
She somehow managed to roll on top
I won't push her off
This time
She's comfortable
I'm happy.

Midnight walls
And wading pools
I run through the halls
That echo you
But the songbird
Does not sing the sweet tune
In the dark.

When did time choose to move like wax
When the lifeline breaks into shattered glass
Find a soft place for your bed
Prepare for the war that lies ahead
Of you and I, we cannot win this time.

We are fighting shadows and breezes
It's time to pull our hearts out of the clouds
But the heart does what it pleases
And this silent room is the battleground.

For the night is young with our laughter
But are eyes grow old a grey
And the sunlight i danced with upon your heart was the heat of our final day.

You wonder
why I wiggle
so much
why my legs
bounce,
and my hands
twitch.
Truth is,
my mind
can't slow down
It doesn't know
how to take a day off,
its far too good
at tormenting me
more and more
with each
passing second.

-JRM

If I had one last breath to breathe
I'd use it to say I love you
If I had one last sight to see
I'd make sure it was your smile
If I had one last sound to hear
I'd want it to be you telling me you love me
If I had one thing left on earth to taste
I'd want it to be your lips
If I had one thing left in the world to touch....
I'd want to die in your arms...

~

My entire life, days I didn’t even know I existed,
hours I sat in the window staring out
Moments spent walking along empty highways
exhaustedly scanning the horizons
Gazing into the night sky, dreaming beyond the moon
Pacing a weakened floor, counting the creaks
Peering behind shadow coated tree lines,
reaching for that which has eluded me

spent looking for you, not even sure who you were
Just knowing that you were out there
you…it has always been you

Sitting on a curb, head in my hands,
lost within the thoughts of my fate,
dreaming of the darkness which seems to follow me,
I feel a warmth, the cold wind changes
Soft hands upon my shoulders rest
and I look between crossed fingers,
seeing that smile, those eyes, realizing
I have not found you…you have found me

You lift me, I feel light, weightless,
as your lips meet mine, and I see
you…it has always been you

Suddenly it all makes sense,
while feeling time was wasted,
remembering footprints mounting the many faded trails,
sunlight opens a new chapter
proving I was not wrong  
Love has found me and it is
you…it has always been you