"Don't hide your eyes"
She said
Smiling at me.
Though I couldn't barely tell.
That smile was elusive.
The pursed lips were more common.
Not necessarily purposely done
Just a side affect
Of my brokenness.
She looked through the shards
And found the pieces to put
My life back together.

"Smile you handsome man"
Every day she said it.
Not as a way to cheer me up,
No, simply as a heartfelt way
To say "I love you"
In different terms
And it meant more.

"You know I love you"
She whispered it
When she thought I was sleeping.
But I was in that in between
The limbo
Of sleep and waking.
And I heard it.

And I knew

She meant every word
Because I loved her too

I love her still.
Isn't it wonderful?
To be in love?
Not as a way to show it off
But as a way to know
That you've found the right one.
That picks up the shards and makes
You're shattered heart whole again.

She's done that
And I have for her.
And we whisper those words.
And the dark gives them true life.
It hides our surface flaws.
It leaves only the words
And the love behind them