I stand before you naked and bare,
Vulnerable and scared
With trembling hands, and shaky breath
Because you gingerly stripped me
Of the armor I had long ago melded to my being.
You carefully untied the intricate knots
That had tangled my chaotic mind.
You skillfully unfastened the clasps,
Which held together my crippled heart.
You watched as my insecurities
Fell to the ground in a pile around my ankles.

I stand before you naked and bare
With trembling hands, and shaky breath
Because the impassioned stare your eyes posses
Pierces the façade that I had shrouded myself with.
The softness of your caressing lips
Comforts the exhaustion of fleeing love.
The heat of your searching hands
Melts the ice that encases my thoughts.
The pressure of your firm body
Pushes away the worries of acceptance.

I stand before you naked and bare
Because your love has set me free from myself.

I am the culmination
Of my mother's fear
And my father's regret

I am the culmination
Of my grandmother's desperation
And my grandfather's separation

I am the culmination
Of their hopes and their dreams
Of the pain and the screams

I am the culminate

And just like that, I have returned
No longer a traveler looking for my place

I've felt the grasp of the one who bore me
Which brought me back to earth
I am here, just like you.
I am me, just as we all should be.

I know what tethers me here
I felt the ground take hold of my roots
Keeping me in my position,
Allowing me to grow

I've seen the origins of my soul
I felt the air rush back into my lungs
Reminding me once again,
I am of flesh, I am of bone

And just like that, I have returned

I cannot write love poems
It is a little fact about me
Trust me, I’ve tried so many times,
But nothing can capture you quite right,
For words are not enough

I cannot describe the feelings you give me
Like the pleasant dizziness that fills my head
when you are so close to me I could burst
And the wonderful swelling of my heart
when you say I love you and look into my eyes
Or the simple bliss that overcomes me
when I think of just being yours forever

I couldn’t possibly compare our love to anything
Because we are deeper and wider
than any canyon on the face of the earth
We are more vast and immense
than all of the sky and all of its inhabitants
And we are more powerful and essential
than any life source that provides the millions

I won’t be able to convey your likeness in words
Your eyes are far too blue and deep
to be like the restless ocean or the airy sky
Your face is far too admirable and handsome
to be like the gods in those legends the Greeks once told
Your body is far too chiseled and flawless
to be like the immaculate statues of the Romans

So, I cannot write love poems
It’s a little fact about me
Nothing can capture you quite right,
This earth cannot hold our love
The feelings you give me are too complex
You, my love, are far too perfect
for a simple love poem

I hope you know
That when I get drunk
I still think about you

I had a dream last night
And you were in it
On a billboard,
As an advertisement
And I was struck with awe
Seeing you up there
Better than what I had remembered

I don’t know what I felt
Maybe it was longing
Or maybe it was peace
Knowing you were better off
Than when I left you

All I know,
Is sometimes I miss your touch
And the way you spoke to me
Sometimes I miss
The way you would look at me
And devour me with your eyes

All I know,
Is I hope that you miss me
As much as I hope you’re happy