like a bird

at dusk, we meet in the meadow. fireflies and hyacinths glow in your eyes as we slow dance under the stars. flower petals catch in your hair and darling, you’re blooming as the world sleeps. you’re all wide eyes and flushed cheeks and feet lifted off the ground, and i am silent. let me be your mirror; i exist only for you.

train tickets crinkle in my hands as you board the train. you’re nose-deep in an atlas, tracing your life along a globe too small for your imagination. you used to kiss the valley of my collarbone and the bridge of my neck; yet, here i stand, drowning as your desire snuffs out my candle. would you believe me if i said we could be our own universe?

you’re standing at the edge, waves crashing saltwater on your face. you used to bloom as the world slept, but all i see is the horizon looping infinity in your eyes. you’re poised like a bird, tulle on your dress unfurling like wings to the wind. we’re caught in the crosshairs, baby. where do you stand when the tide turns?

artists breathe life into blank canvases, swirling palette after palette to transform the world. and then they do it all over again. maybe you’re michelangelo, and i am marble waiting to be shaped and molded into something beautiful. the sculpture shines in its luster, but you never wait to see it collect dust. i am your mirror; the moment you traverse the other side, i am nothing. so i release the pause button and kiss you goodbye.