City Lights and Sea Shells

City Lights and Sea Shells

A faux starry night is formed by moonlight

Bouncing off shards of glass scattered on asphalt.

The sounds of the rumbling city around us match our beating hearts,

The city of angels.

The city of dreams.

Your hand sits gently but haphazardly in mine

Unsure yet what you’re holding on to.

What we knew has long since disappeared,

And what took its place has left you puzzled and exhausted.

I’m not what you expected.

I’m not what you envisioned.

I’m not tall, dark or handsome.

I will never make buying

“His and Her” items

easy.  

It will not always be black and white.

I won’t always understand what you’re going through.

People will always have questions,

And we will not always have the answers.

But when it rains, I will give you my jacket.

I will open doors for you even when your hands are empty.

When you hate the beginning of a movie,

And find yourself wanting to watch something else instead.

I will gladly give you the remote.

Even if we are thirty minutes in,

And I have waited all season to see it.

I will never steal the covers –

                Unless I am wrapping them around us.

I will hold you when you want to be held,

                And give you space only when you need it.

I will give you passion and romance,

                And I will give you time to accept them

Because I know that we are treading unfamiliar waters.

I cannot make you promises,

But I can prepare you dinner.

(And I will wash the dishes.)

I will make you mix tape upon mix tape

Until country music breaks your heart

Just so I can put the pieces together again.

I will hang wind chimes outside of your window

So that every day when you wake up –

You’ll hear something almost as beautiful

as the sound of your voice.

I’ll give you my patience, and my words, and my trust.

                In return, I’ll ask only for your honesty.

-          And probably back rubs.

Because I am a crashing wave,

                But you are a one-of-a-kind sea shell.

History has packed itself inside of you like sand

And I intend to explore every grain.

Spilling out your secrets one by one on the ocean floor

                Understanding what created you -

And then repacking them with mine

So you will never feel empty again.

I cannot be what you are used to.

                But I can show you everything you’ve missed.

Like city lights and sea shells.