Soft as honey, hard as ice
Never mine, your honest eyes.

For I was never yours, not in the moments
When you looked at me, all soft and warm;
And you were never mine, not in the eternity
When my heart beat double-time.

We were never loved, not when we stared
Into the depths of all we hid;
Nor in those sacred moments, reverent
When we understood all we just undid.

Not in the glow of standing together,
An enduring lantern light-
For it soon ended, as it should have
In the glare of the daylight.

she was a good wife:
beautiful, honest, kind, soft -
just like her silence.

your smile confounds:
how it opens at my touch
yet, closes softly,
like a snare that traps my defiance;

                            - keeps me modest.

i adore how your lower lip spasms with desire,
while your upper lip struggles to hide it.
i know there’s more to your smile,
for i have kissed you -
with an undying thirst
that respawns at the close of day.

i’ll forever be in awe -
of the benevolence you summon
with your subtleties;

                          - keeps me honest.

i long for your smile;
i long for your love;
i long for another day -
with you.

a nervous 𝘵𝘴𝘬 of the lips
a little drop of sweat bulging at the neck
an eyelid flickering way too much
a mind that won’t change
a pillow that reeks of salt
a photograph of a distant memory
a fly buzzing around the plasma tube light
a buzz that won’t go away

a switch that won’t turn off
a stain that won’t dust off
a walk that’s unusual for the age
a kid who refuses to play

it’s the little things that give you away

I'll go first,

Growing up, there was a huge emphasis on marriage in my community.
Everything I watched was about love,  lust and relationships, this was all I consumed.

Later on in life,  I began to crave affection and attention from many if not all the males in my life.

This lead me into a spiral of thinking that every male I had an interaction with was going to be my husband.

We listen and we don't judge...

My mind, a maze, is where I wander alone. Tangled pathways overwhelm my thoughts. Seeking gentle light, I aim to find love’s embrace. Yet, shadows of chaos cloud my vision.Yearning for calm communication and connection, I desire safety and trust in every moment. Being transparent seems like a far-off dream, although it is crucial for love’s basis. Standing firm in this world of confusion, I declare: I deserve better—love that is honest and true.

Tell me you love me, let the truth be bare,  
I’ve come so far just to feel you there.  
They call me crazy, they don’t understand
I’m only reaching to hold your hand.  

No stories, no guesses, I don’t want lies,  
I’m done with the clouds and faded skies.  
Let silence be filled with what’s real and near,  
Just tell me plainly, that’s all I hear.  

If you ask me to stay, I’ll settle down,  
But honesty’s all that I ask for now.  
Don’t paint the future, just let us see,  
The ending unfiltered, meant to be.  

Let’s water this truth, let it grow, let it climb
Let endings bloom like flowers in time.