As a kid
I didn't know what love was
But I knew what it wasn't.
It wasn't those late night fights
Of screaming and hollering
Or those door slamming
Or by the way he yelled he's done.

As a kid,
I didn't know what love looked like.
Love must have looked like late night parties
Of parents partying like they're teenagers
Drinking to forget their memories,
Their scars,
Their kids.

As a kid,
I didn't know love felt like.
It could have been a hit or a slap
Or the way he wrapped those cigarette stained
Fingers around my neck.
Or it could have been the tears rushing down
My face because for that moment
Something touched my skin so gently
My tears were my own way of saying
You're Okay.

I mistake kindness for bribery
I mistake a smile for a snake
But if I look hard enough
I'm sure I know what love is.

Love is asking how your day went
Holding your hand as you cross the road
Because he knows how distracted you get
When you start talking.
Love is calling cause they miss you
Hugging you when you're quiet.

I don't know a lot about love, but I know what it's not.
*fictional poem