because you love me,

you take me to the farmer’s market

just so i can continue my search for honey that is as sweet as you are.

i have yet to find any that comes even close

 

because you show me respect,

we sit in my parked car in some shady lot

not far from your house

and i sense safety creep into my shallow rib cage the moment you ask me if i’m okay

not after we’re kissing

but long before you even seek to lean in,

to press your forehead against mine

and breathe the same air as me

 

because you are the embodiment of what love looks like,

exclamation points always find a place in your texts

and your hand, somehow, always seems to find every part of me

whether it’s resting on my thigh, tapping along to some song by the eagles

im sure your dad used to listen to,

or maybe it’s when my waist catches the palms of your hands

by the way they secure me

i can tell, they’ve been waiting to steady me for a long time

you know not everyday is going to be a good mental health day

and you’ve come to accept that

 

because you are my partner

you support me on my bad days,

take them and cradle them in your altruistic arms

claim them as your own

insist that this bad day, is now yours too

 

because you accept my body as it is

your compliments extend past my hourglass figure

you secure my entire midriff in your loving hands

and make it clear you are not afraid to remember that there is an all of me

 

because you show me an abundance of

affection

courtesy

and warmth

this is how i know you love me