I would stay for this--
and only this--
but I wouldn't stay for you.

Because

I can have this--
and so much more--
without you.

You're close;

I feel the sultry warmth of your breath caress my neck,
and the scent of your hair is an exquisite promise.

Without looking, I see the satisfaction in your eyes,

as I contemplate the delicious ambiguity of your whisper,
and bite my lip against the inevitable moan.

You smile, bestow a soft kiss upon my cheek, and walk away,

leaving me to stare after you in bewildered fascination,
my fingers pressed to the hunger you've quickened in my lips.

You mourn the vibrant innocence of youth,
to temper the bitter wisdom life has wrought;

but I would have you as you are,
for these tired eyes see what a child could not:

though I can't erase your scars
I can kiss them til you can't see the difference.

in the ways of words,
it is as though
you have offered me your hand,

and all that's left
is to open my eyes
and drink deeply of you.

if I could capture every smile--
every wayward expression--
these lines would never end

for,
in a fraction of a second,
you have won my heart a thousand times over.

I sent off my heart today,
in folds of ink and moth's wings.

I whispered a wish and let go,
so it could flit across the waters.

When it reaches you,
will you hold it close, and set me free?

Or will you burn it,
and let my prayers rise to the heavens?

the words come less often
the images too
the tears aren't ink
but laughter will do

it's like waking up
or being born
the lessened pain
after the storm

it's not over yet--
the damage is bleak
but no longer we fly
nor numbness seek

it's not like forgetting
or hitting your head
but still a relief
to wishing we were dead

i don't know what to call it
maybe You do?
"Hope...?" i say
You tell me "true..."