I was not born to love you
our initials are not etched into an eternal tree
my blood is not fermented with your name
and the curtain of the sky does not pull back to reveal

you and i
under a spotlight, on a stage
this, i am sure of
i was not born to love you.

i was not conceived to listen to your breath
as it falls against my chest
nor to end up on that rooftop
shivering not from the cold but from the way
your skin felt on my fingertips.

i was not made to stay up
and listen to the crackle
of the phone line as you draw
a heavy breath across the screen.

we are not eternal lovers
declared by the stars
but that does not mean
i love you any less

for i have chosen to love you
it was not fate but the patterns of your speech
the persistence of your heart

nobody, not the universe could predict
for i was not born to love you

and yet how fervent
how coincidental
how gentle
it is that i do.