it's the staring contests in the dark; the scraps of laughter in your breath
when you clasped my fingers against your lips, told me how beautiful it was to even exist between every kiss
and how after every touch sparks linger and they are white hot and glowing like embers of hope
and they are as bright as all of the stars in the universe, the universe you told me was meant just for my eyes
and how in every whorl of your fingertips is the sweetness of spring - the shape and smell and color of all the things i'd like to keep safe and all the while i'm learning how to no longer be afraid
and i've grown to love the way you've taught me where all my armor ends and where all my skin begins; and i've grown to love the way you've shown me the infinite, how you've taught me to remember the moments instead of the days
and i'm still learning
how to be who i am
and who i am not