They come as a dream in the night
And smile like a fresh flower
But beware if you sniff the wrong bloom
You’ll lose some of your beauty
More than just in the face
And it’s only the beginning of your worries
So always be cautious with what you breathe in.

I’ve always wondered if I know love.

I know
stomachs hurting from laughter, a mother’s perfume dabbed wrist to wrist and behind the ears, the smell of vanilla and cinnamon filling a house, shared lip gloss swiped on my lips and hers, a kiss on the forehead and the nose and then both cheeks, grass-stained jeans and the scent of chlorine from days I wish I remembered,
dancing and jumping and laughing
and breathing

I know
bruised knees and scabby elbows, runny mascara and smeared lipstick, broken glass and angry whispers, hiding under the covers, sitting with the lights off, chipped nail polish and picked-at hangnails and sad songs on repeat,
yelling and hurting and crying
and breathing

I know
the feeling of when you’ve inhaled deeper than you thought you could, when your chest hurts and you think your sternum might just crack in half if you don’t exhale right now. And then you do exhale, and you’re hit with a relief you didn’t know you could feel.
I know that love is in the sighs and the gasps, in the snorts and gentle inhales, in the shortness of breath and the calmness after.
It is in the pain and the peace. The noise and the silence.
The happy and the sad.

Love is in everything.
I know that much.

And as you stand
And look out far
The air thick
The wind in your hair

1000 meters
above sea level
Thoughts spilling out
Words that revel

Each step amidst
the spiritual grasp
Words not coming
A tear, a gasp

Closeness to heaven
Is so clear
Nothing to fight
Nothing to fear

Just a moment of time
In which you breathe
Relinquish your fears
Your soul unsheathed

The glory of nature
The wonders of the world
Insignificant we are
The future, behold