falling in love with you was kind of like

putting on ice skates for the first time

even before I stepped on the ice, there was
all this tension coiling up in my stomach like a nesting cobra

there’s this momentary joy when put my foot into the rink
the unity, the coolness,
for a second I feel graceful, I feel poised
for a fleeting moment I am beautiful

I gain in confidence and I am gliding like I’ve been doing this my whole life (which I haven’t)
or at least pretending as though I know what I’m doing.

I leap in the air, like a black&white; photograph
I am suspended, a trapeze artist swinging through space
Time has stopped and there is nothing
but the beating of my heart,
and I laugh and laugh at the absurdity of it all.

but there’s always that moment
inevitable, inexorable
as gravity sends me crashing to my knees, wincing

each time, it gets a little harder to put the skates back on

and try again.