When they were youthful
and could still kneel
to pray that the other one
would return their devotion
out in the open in front of
brothers and sisters
friends and strangers.
before the winter ball
they could take off their TikTok heart glasses
and see for themselves that love is genuine
and dangerous.
when they touch for their first dance
it’s not typical to feel so in tune and riveted to the other.
every moment becomes permeated even though
they can’t express one word out loud.
it doesn’t mean i don’t think about you
too much. it’s too much
why is it so maddening to have a
magical tenderness
- to be a star in your constellation
Until we become separated by a notable distance
this was going to be my canvas
to show how much the glow
was because I worshipped every
flawless piece and every part that went haywire.
kindly tell me that
love wasn’t staged for the tiktok video.
that we could have gone to every event together –
feed the polar bears
save the corks from the wine bottles that we emptied years ago
and make a nightstand.
sew a quilt with so many layers to reinforce our compatibility
it doesn’t have to be
disastrous
like when I made a heart-shaped cake.
and left it at the abandoned house
with the polar bears
who were longing
to not endanger anyone
