When I saw you for the first time,
I didn’t even see your face.
Yet you captivated me with ease,
Perfectly still amongst the constant rush.

Wind shouldn’t be able to blow indoors,
Yet the air whirled all around you.
The blur of people passed unperturbed,
And there you stood in perfect reverie.

The swiftness with which the air rushed in
Was outstripped in an instant,
As every atom left the lobby’s atmosphere,
And my eyes fixed on you in rapt attention.

I can still picture you perfectly.
It’s not just the way your shirt is sitting,
Not just the gorgeous slight curl to your hair, Nor the grace and comfort in your stance.

It’s something so much more intangible,
It’s little bit of everything, seen and unseen.
It’s that energy that I felt, that I still feel
Every time I see you, even ten years later.

I heard when I was younger
That no two fingerprints are alike,
Eight billion people on this planet,
Sporting ten fingers apiece,
Which means eighty million patterns,
All uniquely arching, looping and whirling.

I learned that feelings can taste
Different to different people,
Rarely do heartbuds like or crave the same.
Sadness to some may be sweetness to others,
Moments that kickstart my heart,
May not be what sets yours ablaze.

Now that I am older,
I know the most rich and rewarding taste
Comes from the heart that compliments,
Contrasts and contradicts your own,
Joins you in exploring new flavours,
And always relishing old favourites.

The heart, like the tongue, is a muscle.
Every time we taste the feelings of life,
We flex that muscle a little more.
When we flex our hearts together,
Rubbing our heartbuds over one another,
That muscle grows, as does our love.

The secret, I think, to a lasting love
Is flexing your hearts together in new,
Satisfying, comforting, challenging ways;
Evolving with each little bit of everything,
Always keeping love at the centre,
Remaining they are your favourite taste.

So if you find your person (like I have),
Study their heartbuds hungrily,
Learn all of their favourite tastes.
Understand them, be rich and rewarding,
So you may satisfy and be satisfied.
Give yourself entirely with love.

Feelings have always been our power,
Even throughout our very first night;
Flowing freely, well into the small hours,
From brain to brain, and heart to heart.

Together we found an entirely unexplored,
Previously unknown emotional landscape;
“Empathoria”, only truly able to be reached
By two souls connected in perfect love.

We both feel such euphoric joy,
Such cereberally connected satisfaction.
Within us, our energy merges beautifully;
Physically, we had never felt such ecstasy.

Once you’ve reached such great heights,
No other kind of connection could compare,
To what our everythingship was becoming,
Now blooming and blossoming forevermore.

The word “Lover”
With all its societal connotations
Never made much sense to me,
Until I fell in love with you.

I still remember how it felt
When we watched that performance
Together;
Somehow frozen in the memory
As it was being made,
Suspended beautifully in time,
Just like the sheets of paper
That Taylor had scattered
In the wind.

I remember my heart
Pumping joyfully,
Full of life;
Blessedly and peacefully
Feeling as though I was right
Where I was supposed to be,
Because I was with you.

You can always go where I go,
We can always be that close,
And you can have every summer
That remains in our lifetime.

Like my palimpsest tattoo,
We can grow,
Or we can change,
But we will always
Truly be “lover”
To one another.

Though I can’t always
Give you fancy things,
You will always have -
My love,
                                  My heart,
My hand,
                                  My soul,
And I would still
Marry you with paper rings
In a heartbeat.

So please;
Be my lover baby,
                                  Be my soulmate
Be my best friend,
                                  Be my wife,
For this year and for all years to come.

And I will be yours
Until the world blows up,
Until the sun swallows the earth,
Until we return to stardust,
Until I find you in the next life,
And in every life beyond.