Don’t let me miss you.

I want to realize
     each time I have the blessing
     of sharing a piece of my life with you
I want to realize that it’s something precious

I want to realize
     how delicate this moment is
          that any second we could crumble
     that we are like the butterfly’s paper wing
     watched by god through a storm
     as thin and fleeting as
          passing reflections in a café window

Our lives exist in the gentle, spiraling fall
     of the dead leaf from its crooked branch
     as we exist in these fragile forms
     pretending our bodies aren’t dying, aren’t fading
     
I want to feel the weight pressing down
     of the oceans we carry
     the endless distances of warmth, and loss, and tenderness
     the dark and swirling waters
     of every beautiful thing, every ugly thing, all these perfect things
     that we’ve gathered in our eyes
          and seen pass away
          and held in our hearts always

It’s amazing how strong we are in this soft and breakable flesh
     holding all our scars
That we don’t drown on the sidewalk
That we can rise from our beds, most days
     in spite of the weight of our memories

that we can propel life through our veins
     with these broken hearts of ours