On our first date you didn’t kiss me—
instead you said my name softly
in a voice I didn’t know you could muster
and that moment felt more intimate
than any kiss I had experienced before you

Every touch from you is gentle
my body is an antique book
you’re careful not to crack the spine
—you know I’m better off half open
instead of broken
I’ll crumble in your hands if you’re not careful
so you ghost your fingers across my cheek
with delicacy I’m not worthy of
and wrap my curls behind my ear
slowly as to not ***** me

Your eyes trace over me like I’m art
and you’re a guest in my museum
—quizzically but longingly
you count freckles on my shoulders
like brush strokes in The Starry Night
and for the first time in my life
I feel beautiful
in the same way  
a rain storm is beautiful—
wildly untamed
and so unforgiving