How I Love You

this was inspired by a question my girl asks me from time to time. spoiler alert!!! if you are reading the book "odd thomas" this poem has a reference you may prefer not to know.

 

you ask me how i love you

and the shades flick behind your lips

like hungry ghosts.

 

my kiss isn't an answer so much

as preamble.

i run my fingers over familiar you

we speak in the language of memories,

texture and taste.

we listen with the quiet intuition of destiny.

you never accept less than my absolute self

and that is...

amazing to me.

i struggle with the complete devotion to

your beautiful view of who i am.

 

and

because of you i crane my neck

to catch the vulture

(or is it a hawk?)

above the freeway commute of every day.

because of you i chitter with squirrels

in the parking lot forest outside our apartment.

because of you my tongue paso dobles

with swirling spice skirts

that you choreograph into fantastic flavors.

you sketch out the twisty shapes of sentiment

paper profiles of your deeper dreams

see, your art is beautiful to me.

 

and i'll pretend not to listen

when you sing softly to tori

and the beatles

hoping that someday

i'll be worthy of your true voice.

waiting and writing

we revel in each other's words.

conversations philosophical,

political,

poetic, and personal

you allow alliteration to run amuck

among my amorous vocabulary.

 

and

i love you.

simply.

often without the flowery adjectives

i tend to break into bouquets

and top with tidy white cards

with heartfelt haikus.

 

you don't demand romance as much as truth.

 

god i love that.

the quirks

the quips

the quick laughs

and comfortable silences we share

every single day.

i even love our misunderstandings

and miscommunications

the way we come back to ourselves.

 

i take a breath and feel you

finger painting on the walls

of my heart.

you color me beautiful.

 

in a world sculpted by false profits

i treasure the glints unearthed in your eyes

the unique imperfections of you

that match the torn edges of my hands

and a smile,

a joyous blade

slicing me to the core

like innocence.

the sacred moments we shared

with tchaikovsky

getting stupid on weed

greiving for Stormy's surprising

demise

and a few other million memories

each a thread pull to the pattern

of us.

 

you ask me how i love you

and my answer remains

forever...

i do.

Reviews

[Sara Henry Heistand]

Oh, Raggy. :}

This has to be on my tippy top ten for most romantic pieces of free verse. It's beautiful and flows with reliance on cliches and common under/overtones. I can tell what the narrator feels is real and spilling over with depth. Your language is personal and modern - so much more heartfelt than "O how I adore thee" love poems. You nightingale, you. ;)

Favorited!

[RedChickPoet]

Wow... the long-ago past. Then, I never could ever imagine the death of a love that WAS this. Felt and proclaimed publicly. I can only imagine the emptiness and venom your words would hold now if you were forced to write about me and the end of everything that happened.

[Gandré]

we listen with the quiet intuition of destiny. --------- wow Brian... what a way to say !

often without the flowery adjectives

i tend to break into bouquets

and top with tidy white cards

with heartfelt haikus.



you don't demand romance as much as truth. ----------------well this is my favorite part. brilliant, touching... no one tops you with this...I know it is not the reason, I am just melting above the depth of the words !

the sacred moments we shared

with tchaikovsky -----------I also love Tchaikowsky, BTW... yes he represents the eternal sufferer logged within a male body, he wasn't able to live his sexual orientation and one can feel it in his music, I mean the violine concerto is... you know what I mean. to talk about this is sacred, so this suits perfect the idea i have about it.

I enjoyed your poem, once again, it was warm... and wonderful.

[clsmith766]

I have to admit that the feelings in this piece are very authentic at the very least. It conveys feelings of emotion without going over the top. relays ideas without too many exaggerations. You kept it realistic. I like that.

[Tara Jean Olson]

this is, the most articulate, relative, powerful, and, far superior piece that i have ever read.

[Autumn's Child]

Oh my God. This poem left me in awe. I can't even pick out a line that struck me the most, though there were several: "i run my fingers over familiar you", "we speak in the language of memories, texture and taste.", "because of you my tongue paso dobles with swirling spice skirts", "often without the flowery adjectives i tend to break into bouquets and top with tidy white cards with heartfelt haikus." This is a love poem at its finest.

[Collette]

Romantic is an understatement...I'm jealous. This lines speak more than just literary meaning, they are your heart, and the reader can feel it. No frills, no flowery bullshit. You won't devalue your love by trying to name it. Label-free, the flow is beautiful...like a river I'd love to swim in. Few can ever find what you've touched on...hold on. The most awesome occurrence in nature has to fall within this category.

These lines:
i take a breath and feel you

finger painting on the walls

of my heart.

you color me beautiful.

made me sigh, really. such a wonderful way of describing something so beautiful. Poignant and proud, this piece has integrity. A worthy tribute to such a wonderful companionship.
brava

[Raef C. Boylan]

Long time no speak. I'm really glad you reviewed me, because I somehow let your work slip my mind again and haven't popped round for a while.

This is an amazing romantic tribute. I don't think I've read a better love poem that stayed true to the topic and refused to artificially sprinkle shiny glitter over the honest canvas.
I fall in love with both of you, with your love, just reading this.

The piece needs to be taken as a whole, because of beign such a thorough exploration, but here are just a few favourites that made me smile in a glad way - for you both, and for myself being lucky enough to have read this:

"because of you i chitter with squirrels
in the parking lot forest outside our apartment"

"you never accept less than my absolute self"

"i even love our misunderstandings
and miscommunications
the way we come back to ourselves"

"i take a breath and feel you
finger painting on the walls
of my heart."

Overall, amazing poem.
I really hope that she's read it[?]

[Emily B]

I feel like I stumbled upon a scene too private for my eyes. A glimpse into your true soul. Before--Mr. and Mrs. Browning were the most romantic poets I knew. This earns its place among the most Romantic.

[Haden]

you never falter do you? you're always in love. it's a beautiful thing.
"and a few other million memories"
"you don't demand romance as much as truth"

those are my faves. beautiful dedication. it's nice to know that love stories like this exist outside of meg-ryan-hollywood. great job!

[Rhonda]

This is great.

No fancy words, simply great.

-R