What It Isn't, and What It Is
Becasue I love you
Isn’t an an answer
To the bruise blossoming on his face.
To the broken bones in his fingers,
To the fractured self.
It doesn’t permit the harm,
The damage done.
Four words doesn’t make
The flesh come back together,
The heart beat again
When so many words before it
Are what tore the body apart.
Because I love you
Isn’t the reason
To give him your body
When and where he wants.
To give her all of your time,
Your energy.
It doesn’t give him the right
To make you his,
To make your friends disappear,
Or for her to track you
Every hour
Every half hour
Every minute.
Because I love you
Isn’t an excuse
For distrust, for suspicion
Because I love you
Isn’t a basis
For shaming and lying,
For telling him he needs
To lose a couple pounds,
Or telling her
That she needs to put
More makeup on her face
To be beautiful.
For broken mirrors,
Shattered like diamonds
Reflecting back unseen beauty,
Or for fake smiles,
Like paper bags over faces
Hiding what you are
And becoming someone else.
Because I love you
Is whispered in the night
Under warm blankets
Where secrets can be shared
It is for when you feel
That you have no idea
Why this person is in your life
Or why they have stayed with you
Through the best and the worst.
It is for gifts,
When there’s no occasion,
And for compliments
And hand-holding.
It is the answer
To insecurities, to doubts.
The reason for being
Here with you,
Right now,
Together.
Where we were meant to be.