our exchanges have been magical,
you and i.

i'd like to gather all the moments we've had so far --
even the ones we shared in silence  
and lay it out for us to be wrapped in them.
the feeling of being surrounded by even just the sound of your voice soothes me,
and that is enchanting for me.

perhaps i'm caught in a spell,
the incantation, however is nonexistent as i
simply see you for what you are
and i am truly delighted,
ecstatic,
and overflowing.

perhaps its not a trick,
not an allure,
and definitely not a spell.
perhaps its me finally falling for the magic,
the hearth,  
not the witch.

darling, crossing paths with you was like seeing fire for the first time --
ablaze and ardent and truly unprecedented.

despite every circumstance that works against us,
i still choose you,
and that's the only conversation important to me.
every line,
every word,
every thought that leads me back to you,
is the only thing i can hear.

because i said, when i finally meet a girl like you,
one unlike no other,
special because of all the things she chooses to be --  
i will be there, to choose you every day.
my feelings will run deep,
and you will be soaked with all that i can and will be.

despite everything, i will stay.
despite everything, i will be yours.

everything you do is every bit unconventional,
unique, and full of life.
so i decided to write a poem about it.
one different from the style i usually take,
because that's the kind of effect you have on me.
you make me want to take the leap,
compel a change i've been meaning to do over the years,
a positive impact, if you will.
you're a catalyst to a series of realizations,
and a smile i didn't know i had,
a laughter i didn't know i could conjure.
but its not what you make me feel that makes me want to write about you.
its not about how devastatingly beautiful i find you,
or how annoyingly charming you are to me.

its about how you are, by far,
the most emotionally intelligent person i know.
what's more is that you are wise and knowledgeable,
far more than you let on,
and yet you have no desire or need to have other people know.
you understand the cause and effect in life,
the necessity for suffering,
and how patience is humbling.

you may meet dozens, hundreds of people more in this lifetime than i ever will,
all of which i hope can see your beauty and your grace.
the hope you carry within, and the light that shines around you.
i hope they see you the way i see you,
because i know if they did,
they'd believe in you no matter what,
and they'd be there to stay through it all.

i hope one day you see yourself the way i see you,
and know why i believe in you.

it means take care or to take care,
in a foreign language.

you will, won't you?
you are far too beautiful to fall,
and even if you do,
i'll be there.

cuida,
take care.

there are so many secrets,
so many things still hidden,
underneath the skin from which you hide.
that even after you revealed so many details
about yourself,
your past, present,
and future,
i still clamor for more.

i hope to unravel,
every part of you,
in time.

i hope to know you more,
because i am drawn,
to every piece you divulge,
even the ones that you hate.

i like what you show me,
and i love even that which you hide.

so confess,
impart,
unfold.

i am falling for a future that isn't mine.
i wish things were simpler.
i wish i could discard and rearrange my thoughts
and not have you at the beginning
and at the end of it all.
i wish it could be that simple.

i know, no matter how hard i tried to envision it,
its a trap.
but, its nice to imagine once in a while, that it could be me.
and that maybe, the Universe, said yes to it all.
wouldn't that be nice?
but its a future, i know i can never have.
its a future that isn't mine.

i'm sorry if you're burdened by what i feel.
this is not your fault.
you didn't ask to be cared for,
and you didn't need anyone to be mindful of you.

but,
here i am --
for you,
and there you are --
for me,
for now.

i'm sorry for the weight i've put in your hands.
i promise to take it away, as soon as i can.
i know you don't need what i have for you,
and i know you won't ever want, what i can be for you.

but,
here i will still be for you,
and one day, you won't.

and that's okay,
that's okay.

breeze ripples palm groves,
a gleam in coconut fronds;
past peeps through the mist!