Joseph
I love you
Not in the way that I want to own you
Or hold you down
Or keep you for myself
I love you between every word I say to you
Every breathe I have in your presence
I love you in the moments we don’t talk
I love you even more the second you know exactly what I don’t say
You spare me embarrassment even tho you never had to
I love your hands
And how I so wish they would wrap around mine some day
I love you in your laugh
And how I know exactly what you’re doing or how you’re feeling through this damn phone
And I love how you know me, too
But I don’t want to keep you
Not for myself
I want to prove to you that this love of mine
This little heart
It cares about you more than needing to tell you
I want to keep you safe even if it’s from me
So, for now at least
I’ll love you in the quiet
I’ll love you in our goodnight texts
I’ll love you in our laughs together
I’ll love you when I’m walking, and wish your shadow was besides my own
I’ll love you when I’m cooking, thinking if you’d like it
I’ll love you in between sips of my morning coffee and afternoon tea
I’ll love you in between the pages of the books I’m reading
I’ll love you with my last bite of food, how I joke I’ll always share my snacks and meals with you
For now, I’ll love you quietly
And I’ll love you while my hands are empty
-R.L.
