I fall in love with people for fifteen seconds at a time.

A glimpse on the subway,

A smile on the street,

A brief connection in a café.

There is a never ending supply

Of beautiful souls in every moment.

 

I find myself enraptured by their essence.

One point five seconds of prolonged eye-contact

And I’m hooked.                                        

 

I know their name and birthday.

I know they cry every time they hear Frank Sinatra sing

Because he was their mother’s favorite artist.

I know they smile at every dog they see

And I know they tried to kill themselves last year

But it doesn’t matter because they found life in their collection of dried flowers.

 

And in these facts

I find an entire world,

A world that I want to be a part of.

I see our lazy Saturday mornings

Filled with sleepy kisses and enough yawns to fill the atmosphere.

I see the sleepless nights filled with pizza

And philosophical discussions that leave us aching for more.

I see the moonlit nights spent on top of the highest roof we can find

Because we want to hear the stars whispering.

 

Sometimes I wonder if they can hear my longing

Calling to them from across the train car

Across the street

Across the table.

 

I wish I could write letters to every person I’ve fallen in love with

To tell them that they changed my life.

To tell them that they matter.

To tell them that they are loved.