dark antique wood
blacks and grays
glowing warm lights

paint under fingernails
sunflowers in a vase
love notes and messy handwriting

curly hair, green eyes
dancing under the light of the moon
run, leap, be free

creativity, passion
cotton, linen, airy
soft, natural, pastel yellow

secrecy, beauty, trust
stolen hoodies, stolen kisses
soft rock on a record player

adventures, twilight
hopes, fears, dreams
peace in the silence

to me
love is
     our inside jokes that make me laugh until i cry.
love is
     tears being dried on the hardest days.
love is
     the warmth i get when our fingers intertwine.
love is
     stifled laughter from forbidden calls at one am, and
          secrets being shared with the one i fully trust.

love is more than a feeling.
love is an eyeroll, the butterflies in my stomach.
love is matching bracelets, lazy days, stolen kisses, and those returned.

love is promises kept, telling the truth, and holding each other up.

he made me believe in love again.

the world has never waited for me to catch up.
it's always been moving
                                  spinning
               ­                        dancing
in ways i could never understand.

but then i met you
and when you held my hand
     time
          stood
               still.

he said
when you are crying
          i will dry your tears.
when you feel like self-destructing
          i will sing softly to you for as long as you need.
when you are broken
          i will lie with you, and we can do beautiful nothing together.
when you are wordless
          i will understand.
when you can't move
          i will be there for you.
when the past is choking you
          i will gather you into my arms.

i will love you through everything.
every brokenness
          every fear
                    and every "what if."

it will be you and me,
me and you,
no matter what.

she said
will you love me when i'm crying so hard i can't speak
will you love me when i want to litter my arms with lines
will you love me when i'm broken and can't move
will you love me when i'm wordless
will you love me when i can't get out of bed
will you love me when the past is choking me
will you love me when i'm gaunt
                                                      pale
                                                           shattered


will you love me when the world is swirling
when i am numb

will you love me through it all?

i was drunk off of your physical touch
every other part became the hangover.