She would trace flowers along my
warm skin, her nails sharp yet gentle

You couldn't tell me loving her was a sin, a shot in one hand and
in her other a menthol

You look so pretty when you're talking to me,
and just for a second, I want to see what you see.
'Cause if you saw yourself in the way that I do,
you'd realize your worth-
and maybe I'd realize mine too

I love love as depressing as I am
But I love the intimacy-
There's beauty in holding hands
Secrets whispered closely at night,
That deeper understanding reached after the first fight

Working together to complete a goal
With someone beside you,
feeling so whole
Their laughter engraved in your head forever-
There's never been a sound that you've loved better

Caressing their face when
sadness reigns king,
Using their favorites to make them
feel seen
The electricity between two
lovers touching,
The honeymoon phase flirting that leaves them both blushing

A lover always has that certain smirk,
When everything is new and
you love every quirk
You get to be silly no matter your age,
Like fictional romance flew off the page

I love when silence doesn't have to ache,
When it's shared, not something you fake
Two mugs in the morning and
a tangled bedspread,
A soft “good morning” with a
kiss to their head

The little things that no one would see,
Like saving the last bite of dessert
just for me,
Or hearing my favorite song
and hitting repeat,
Because love lives in gestures,
not just in lusts heat

I love how romance is art in motion,
How it mirrors moonlight
across a vast ocean
Not always easy, not always bright,
But it's something sacred in both
storm and light

Maybe I'm dark and I like
to write about sorrow
But I love love even when I have
none to borrow

I deserve love and laughter and joy,
I know how to get it I don't have to be coy
I can give love and friendship and kindness, without even thinking of it, so ingrained it's mindless
I can trust my intuition and the thoughts in my brain, I don't have to have someone else double check my every play
I can be successful and support myself
I don't have to dim my light and hide on the middle shelf
I get to choose how I live this life that is mine, and I'm choosing to indulge in everything divine

The concrete cools, no longer burning my feet as the sun slips away for his evening retreat
Sometimes there's fireflies and other bugs do sing, but I'm waiting on the moon and the tranquility she brings.

The street lamps will highlight small places in the dark, but the moon and her stars did it better from the start,
She makes a liminal place feel serene, mapping constellations and discussing what they mean.

In this silence I feel so free, the air is not heavy when she's looking at me, I just admire the way that she glows, intergalactic wisdom pouring over my head to my toes.

I could stay out here for most of the night, from the suns purple goodbyes to his pink morning highs, when they switch shifts I'll return home, until it's time for my iridescent friend to show.

Sometimes after a long battle,
all you long for is soft.
Soft embraces, soft hands, and soft words.

-Rhia Clay