In honor of Valentines weekend, I thought I would share a poem I wrote a few years back. It is a compilation, inspired by many people that I love. I read it again this weekend and felt really grateful.
How I love you.
I love you in sudden bursts that come upon me mysteriously.
Your ghost passing through.
Stillness.
Today I loved you as I made a salad
in your big yellow mixing bowl.
How I love you.
I love you in starts and stops.
But fully always.
You are my hero and sometimes a stranger.
So familiar yet so foreign.
Today I love you with practicality,
the only language that you speak.
How I love you.
I love you because you’ve taught me what home is.
I love you as my chosen family.
My greatest teacher.
My closest confidant.
I love you as my own heart.
You’ve ruined me for others
with your wisdom and grace,
wildness and vulnerability.
Today I love you in a lax dinner
tomorrow in an enlightening brunch.
In between bites of wonder, joy, pain and regret.
I love you in the sweet dessert
of being seen and heard.
How I love you.
I love you in the echoes of yesteryear bouncing off the walls of today.
Today I love you as I listen to you postulate.
The same words in a different decade.
How I love you.
I love you in your mystery and courage.
A Picasso of shattered pieces, forming a whole.
Today I love your softness that you feel you need to protect.
How I love you.
I love you like a baby bird and an eagle.
With gentleness and awe.
The dichotomies.
We are opposites, you and I.
Teachers.
Today I love you in my frustration and adoration.
How I love you.
I love you in a way that can’t be quantified.
A shared history. A part of me.
Your sardonic wit, masking pain.
Bringing light unbeknownst to yourself.
Today I love you in your son’s laughter.
How I love you.
I love you in strained ways.
Compassion and anger are a humbling combination.
And then I release. I release.
And am flooded.
Doing the best you can.
Doing the best I can.
Today I love you in your cologne and squeezes.
How I love you.
I love you for your sacrifices.
For diving in.
Today I love you as an unlikely role model.
How I love you.
I love you in our shared school of surrender.
A sugarcube in hot water.
Bit by bit dropping off
tragically and beautifully
until all that is left
is sweetness.
I love you in sudden bursts that come upon me mysteriously.
Your ghost passing through.
Stillness.
Today I loved you as I made a salad
in your big yellow mixing bowl.
How I love you.
I love you in starts and stops.
But fully always.
You are my hero and sometimes a stranger.
So familiar yet so foreign.
Today I love you with practicality,
the only language that you speak.
How I love you.
I love you because you’ve taught me what home is.
I love you as my chosen family.
My greatest teacher.
My closest confidant.
I love you as my own heart.
You’ve ruined me for others
with your wisdom and grace,
wildness and vulnerability.
Today I love you in a lax dinner
tomorrow in an enlightening brunch.
In between bites of wonder, joy, pain and regret.
I love you in the sweet dessert
of being seen and heard.
How I love you.
I love you in the echoes of yesteryear bouncing off the walls of today.
Today I love you as I listen to you postulate.
The same words in a different decade.
How I love you.
I love you in your mystery and courage.
A Picasso of shattered pieces, forming a whole.
Today I love your softness that you feel you need to protect.
How I love you.
I love you like a baby bird and an eagle.
With gentleness and awe.
The dichotomies.
We are opposites, you and I.
Teachers.
Today I love you in my frustration and adoration.
How I love you.
I love you in a way that can’t be quantified.
A shared history. A part of me.
Your sardonic wit, masking pain.
Bringing light unbeknownst to yourself.
Today I love you in your son’s laughter.
How I love you.
I love you in strained ways.
Compassion and anger are a humbling combination.
And then I release. I release.
And am flooded.
Doing the best you can.
Doing the best I can.
Today I love you in your cologne and squeezes.
How I love you.
I love you for your sacrifices.
For diving in.
Today I love you as an unlikely role model.
How I love you.
I love you in our shared school of surrender.
A sugarcube in hot water.
Bit by bit dropping off
tragically and beautifully
until all that is left
is sweetness.
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