Hand --- shake, pinky --- cross, mouth --- word.

Simple assurances of a reality deferred.

Finger --- ring, hand --- sign, promises form,

Covenant, effort, its fulfillment, the norm.

What is life, if not faith persevering?

What is faith, if not promise adhering?

What is promise, if not fulfillment appearing?

What is fulfillment, if not belief endearing?

Because He promised me.

A day to celebrate my girl with lovely face,

Beautiful and bold, I call her Your Grace.

Time flies, space separates, seasons change,

May our love flourish and grow, in depth and range.

You are my first and new, with lows and thrills,

We had our share of both valleys and hills.

Why can’t it always be sweet, and never so bitter,

When it always makes me feel like a quitter?

But this I learned, through our time together,

Going with you is always much better.

My girl, my love, and most importantly, a friend,

May our connection and company never end.

Long story short, I am so thankful for you,

That I can hear my honey’s voice, “I love you Boo.”

There is no one else and I just want you,

Hopefully one day I can say, “I do.”

Happy National Girlfriend Day.

Beauty. Defined by opinion, belief, or a truth,

An ever changing meaning of standard and view.

Set by tones of fashion and of youth,

But to me, beautiful always means you.

Beauty. Not defined by thoughts of another,

Not by the brand of makeup or face of a doll.

You are beauty inside out, like your mother,

My love, you are beautiful, you have it all.

Beauty. The face of my love, with laughter and smile,

Whose face I adore, in dreams and with eyes.

Beauty brings joy and love that lasts for a while,

That's what makes it so hard to say my goodbyes.

Beauty. Seemingly in the eye of the beholder,

And in my eyes, it means my girl.

How lucky am I, that beauty puts her head on my shoulder,

Wrapping around my neck like a gorgeous, precious pearl.

Beauty means you.

**Inspired by Dune**

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, blade in hand.

The turmoil, the dirt, sand, and mud,

Prophecies foretold, blood for blood.

My hands trained for violence, yet trembling all the more,

Tremors like worms in the sand, shaking me to the core.

Father, I don't know my way.

I just killed a man. Is this what lies for my future?

I thought I could pave my own way. Yet my mind is unclear,

As the thought of rebellion, the oracles about me are near.

Father, I thought you said that I just needed to be me,

But with my path set out, am I ever really free?

Friends have become followers, my every move analyzed,

Is it blind religion or something they have realized?

My power amasses like the raging sea of my thoughts,

Like the stars in the sky and sand on the ground.

I am just a man, Paul Atreides, the son of my father,

Why can't I just be that and not some other?

Yet vengeance brews, heart racing, blood boiling,

Every grain of spice leading me to the spire.

Power I wield, a purpose of justice or for harm,

The Muad'Dib has arrived, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

Another test arrives, but in the form of another man,

Who dares challenge the one to rule them all?

Scales out of balance, doubts, my mind a scatter,

May thy knife, chip, and shatter.

I just killed a man. Is this what lies for my future?

Father, I have found my way.

Oh what love is this, unexpected but true,

To have one like this, from my one and only you.

My mind traces back to the time we first met,

Through the noise and the crowds at the busy night market.

Talking to you felt natural, like being with a friend,

I never wanted our conversation to ever end.

That night, I gained a companion, far from my home,

We could talk about anything, from movies and books, to the fall of Rome.

Back on familiar ground as I come back to my place,

But all I was reminded of was your beautiful face.

As I struggled to adjust my sleep schedule in the middle of the night,

I am still so thankful you wished me a safe flight.

Though far away, our talks continued more,

My knee still healing but my heart was never sore.

Day by day, with you, I felt more than a friendship,

From sharing our childhood to sending a video clip.

Our confession of our feelings was the start of it all,

But we both know it hasn’t been the easiest call.

Struggles and hurt, but healing in between,

As we helped each other feel heard and seen.

Each day we long to forgive, and understand,

As we stay beside each other, hand in hand.

Through the hard times and the romance, my heart grows deeper in love,

Both to be with you more and love our God up above.

Even still, I am in awe of your kind love, so sweet,

I thank God everyday that He allowed us to meet.

Your beautiful heart of love to others warms my own,

Your words of affirmation never makes me feel alone.

Each day I see you, you’re more beautiful than the last,

Beauty is what you are, present, future, and past.

Though we have so much ahead of us, let’s do it together,

Because life with you is just that much better.

One day I pray that I would ask, “แต่งงานกันนะ?,”

But today I lovingly ask, “เป็นแฟนกันนะ?”

I am the happiest man alive to call you mine,

Honey, will you be my Valentine?

자기야, 사랑해 ❤️

Though the seas may roar and the land is shaking,

Let there be joy, peace, and happiness in the making.

Though families separated and children are without parents,

Heal us, God, we desperately long for your presence.

Brokenhearted are we, to see so much violence and hatred,

For we have forgotten that human lives are so sacred.

Heal us, God, over the lands in turmoil and war,

We need your power and love, more than ever before.

Our leaders shed blood, while the people shed tears,

As the bullets and wounds have been exchanged for years.

I don't know why this is happening, God, we are all in such a fuss,

Only you have the ultimate control, please lead us, heal us.

One day, may the fatherless and motherless be given a home,

May the people wandering settle and never roam.

Would the crying turn to laughter and the gunfire cease,

As the world gathers together for a solution to peace.

But none of this can be possible without your guiding hand,

God, help us to stay strong, trusting in you, as we take a stand.

A dream that I wish to be reality, a love so sweet and true,

Marriage and a family I long for, with you, only you.

Yet it doesn't do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live,

Building our love right now, when we laugh and when we forgive.

From the day we first met to the confession of our feelings,

To the day to day conversations and laughter and healings,

My heart beats faster still that I get to choose you each day,

I'm standing by you, not leaving, but choosing to stay.

Honey, it's been a while, with lots of memories to share,

Each one is so precious to me, we make such a great pair.

Honey, I love you and thank God that I get to call you mine,

Will you make me the happiest man in the world by being my Valentine?

A beautiful truth it is, that there is intimacy even in the distance,

But a desire to be together, what we think in an instance.

Our love is so sweet, so true, and has stood the test of time,

Let our journey continue, whether we walk, crawl, or climb.

One day, instead of our faces across a phone, tablet, and laptop,

We will hold hands to the cinema, hearing the popcorn pop.

One day, instead of the long messages of conversation and text,

We will meet face to face, wondering what to talk about next.

One day, instead of the recording sounds of our low, quiet voice,

We will enjoy words from our own mouth, in love as we rejoice.

One day, instead of staring to a bright screen to enjoy each other's eyes,

We will be close together, lost in each other, in both our hi's and goodbyes.

One day, instead of listening to our shared Spotify playlist on our own,

We will be dancing, eyes, nose, hands, and lips together, so we are never alone.

One day, instead of a kiss on the surface of the online,

Our lips will meet in person, oh how sweet, how divine, that I get to call you mine.

One day, instead of ending our calls and our texts to work and to sleep,

We will be with each other each day, laughing, crying, or in a conversation so deep.

One day, no longer bound by distance and by time and everything in between,

We will put a ring declaring our love, just like in a movie scene.

And one day, see our future children, from infant, to toddler, to teen.

I look forward to that one day with you, honey.

Was it just empty, thrown around words, or a real, romantic feeling?

To know the answer to this will be deep, genuine healing.

Signs of interest, but worries, concerns, and doubt,

You might be wondering, "What is this even all about?"

But through all the questions, I will answer with joy,

Because I love this beautiful girl as just an ordinary boy.

Honey, my words mean love and always has been towards you,

From the first poem I wrote about you and my voice messages too.

From strangers to friends to lovers a surprise,

Thinking about it still gives me butterflies.

Through worries of a friendship and nothing more,

I love you so much, right down to the core.

From "Have a safe flight" and "Love you" to "I love you, honey,"

My love for you and your love for me is priceless, no price or amount of money.

You are my everything, my first choice, the only woman I love,

I always thank my God who blesses me from above.

Let me love you forever.

See, smell, touch, taste, the senses to guide us each day,

But to hear, and listen, longing for words one would say.

From the ringing noise in silence to the roaring cry of an airplane,

Yet there is one sound, a voice, a pleasant memory in my brain.

It is the voice of my love, a high pitch of cute and sweet,

Attractive and beautiful, I wish to sweep her off her feet.

Her voice, a long embrace, a romantic kiss wished to be felt,

Like a bird's song of heaven, always making my heart melt.

I had a dream once, a cozy little house with a family, so sweet and so real,

With that beautiful voice I hear shouting, "Dinner is ready! Enjoy your meal!"

Dreams are usually exciting or frightening, and this seems so mundane,

But I don't care what others think, this is about her, I won't complain.

That beautiful voice, no other woman can compare, like that of an angel,

My joy in the morning, my rest at night, my healing when life gets painful.

That beautiful voice, holding my mind at peace and in hurt,

My calm in the storm and my hope in the desert.

That beautiful voice, one I get to hear over video and the phone,

The voice of my love, that wants me to tell her "You're never alone."

That beautiful voice, one I have always loved and known,

It is her I wish to put on her finger, a jewelry ring of her own.

Though far apart, is is that beautiful voice that gives me hope,

In the best moments, and even more in the difficult, when I'm at the end of the rope.

It is that beautiful voice calling me "Honey," "My love," "Baby," that makes her worth fighting for,

I just seem to fall in love with her more and more.

May that beautiful dream turn into my everyday life,

So one day we can be husband and wife.

It is that beautiful voice that wakes me up each day and puts me to sleep at night,

Telling me that life is beautiful and in the hard times, that everything will be alright.

I cannot wait to hear the sound of your voice again, honey.