i used to want to express what you meant to me
in idioms that could reflect how deeply i felt about you,
like how you put the stars in the sky
or how i thought the sun lent you its warmth when i held you.

but when i think it over,
the words that mean a lot to me are the simple phrases
when my mom tells me to "take care" and
when my kid siblings ask to ride my back.  

so i hold you close and say "i care for you,"
because the words mean more to me than anything else i could think of.