I don't know what to call it—
there's no labels on our jars
just the taste of feeling safe
when the world forgets
to be kind—
in silence
in tears
in the act of terrible singing
and to let each other be
without fixing—
like two cool cats
napping on opposite windowsills—
both catching light
without stealing it.

I don't ask
why you need to be quiet
whether happy or sad—
and you don't ask
why I stay up to see the sunrise
or why I stay up late
talking to the moon.

We don’t measure what this is—
we just make room
for each other's storms
place our phones on the counter
and mean it
when we take time
for each other.

You know
when I need a loud no.
I know when you need
a soft it's okay
and I never follow you
into storms
you choose to weather alone.

I never knock too loudly—
just wait
on the porch of your quiet
hands in my pockets
not asking you to hurry.

This—whatever it is—
feels like a home.

You no longer believe in the media
because you know that they have all lied to you
and word of mouth cannot be relied upon
so
what to do if you want something new
untainted
vaccinated or unvaccinated?

and this is what I've waited for
since nineteen fifty-six?

thank god it wasn't fifty-four
or
you might have thought
that this was a poem.

The brightest faces,
The most promising
Bodies of water—
Laughs that enchant
Like siren songs--
I remember
Coral is more beautiful
When dead inside.

My loyalty blinded me
To the absence of feelings,
The construct I had created
To ward off unwanted emotions.
The position was filled—
An unattainable relationship
I chose on purpose, imagining
Butterflies when there were none.
A glowing heart, but one
That did not align with mine.
I was loyal to a safety measure,
My eyes seeing no one else in that
Enamoring light—