“I want this!” I whispered

in that loud kind of way

that releases the surge

of butterflies in the belly.

The mirror looked back at me

and whispered excitedly back,

“You can have this!’

 

“Come closer,” he whispered,

his bearded lips found

the plumpness of my mouth

and I whispered gently back

into the safety and heat of his face,

“I’m here.”

 

“I’m scared,” I whispered

into the darkened room

as his arms wrapped around me

pulling me closer to his chest

and he whispered back,

“Take your time.”

 

“I can’t do this!” I shouted

the whispers we knew

shattering in the early morning light.

“Don’t walk away from me!” he begged

but the door closed behind me

with a resolute goodbye.

 

“You’re scared,” he whispered

as I clutched my arms tightly

to a hallowed chest, the thud of my heart

reminding me of  walls

built over time, tall and proud

around the garden I kept secret

within me, “Let me in,”he said.

 

“I’ll try,” I whispered into a glass of red wine

the swirl of music and dance and play

capturing us as we unabashedly

held hands and kissed within

the crowds and swells of people

who knew not a thing, “Let’s try.”

 

“You’ve changed me,” he whispered

into the nape of my neck as I flipped

my head back and laughed up into

the stars, the no-match fire burning

with an intensity that mimicked

the swelling life of the garden in

my revealed soul, “You are special.”

 

“I love you,” I whispered

into the darkened room

as his arms wrapped around me

pulling me closer to his chest

and he whispered back,

“I love you, too.”