How do I love thee? Let me count the ways From the sweet laughter dribbling down your lips, To your gentle eyes fluttering at dawn From the way you gracefully pounce across the sea rocks Gathering and sorting rounded glass—milky in color The way the afternoon sun turns your hair to gold Your eyes to deep, evergreen forests Your limbs, like Icarus’ wings Glowing, fragile,—temporary My love knots tightly for thee, unslipping However, With every yearning glance, I worry you will wash away Like the piles of creamy glass you once collected Returning home to the ocean and her waves Leaving me unmoving upon the shore —gazing