I prayed I could lie with you
under the cherry blossoms
when winter had fallen
and my heart had awakened to spring.
Next to the river water,
the gloss of your eyes
captured in moonlight,
as you used every word you knew
to speak your soul into mine.
I prayed I could lie with you
so I could touch the shadows of your skin,
to leave marks on your neck
to tell the stars you were mine;
To taste salt from your skin
no one else had known,
and breath from your lungs
no one else had heard.
I prayed I could lie with you
so close that I could strip away
the collar of your shirt,
to see the heart hidden underneath.
I prayed I could lay my ear against
your hot chest to hear your heart beat,
pumping blood to every living cell
of your body,
to remind me of how alive we both were –
To remind me that God has allowed
us both to live until this moment.
I prayed I could lie with you
so that I could feel you
wrap me in your arms,
clutching me close to your soul
as you repeated your love for me,
over and over,
softer and softer,
until every angel heard it for themselves.
I prayed I could lie with you
to feel you kiss my fingertips
as I touched every edge and
every crack of your lips
until I knew your mouth
better than my own;
Until I knew your tongue –
its curves,
its taste,
its words –
better than my own breath.
I prayed I could lie with you
so for once
every sensation I knew of you
wasn’t only a dream;
That you
for once
loved me as I loved you…
And that
for once –
for a moment –
for a breath in time –
you and I were one.
You can find this poem and many others like it in my poetry book, LOVE AND OTHER BROKEN THINGS. Available where books are sold.
