I am the leaf just fallen
in a forest
that is your beauty.
I am an inhale
held in place
to your infinite wind.

But in every sense
I am part of you
and can only imagine
how lovely you are,
like a curtain on a sunny day.

You are the love already there.
And we just needed to realize it.

So when you looked at me,
I could feel not daggers
piercing hypothetically
into my soul,
nor icicles figuratively
delving into my heart,
nor the shock
of acknowledgment that shakes
my very being.

No, when you looked at me
I was at peace,
knowing I found a place familiar,
a place I knew I already was.

When you looked at me,
it was not a torrent of raging emotions,
but rather,
the calmness of validation,
the tranquility of recognition,
that is only possible
with the comfort of belonging.

When you looked at me,
we had already known,
and only a mental nod
was needed.

You are
the understanding of all that is perfect.