If we are to be in love

If we are to be in love

I do not want you to ever need me,

for necessity in love breeds a pair of parasites

that feast upon both hearts in a sickening

symbiosis, and therefore,

I do not want you to lie to me,

and likewise, I to you,

those foolish lies that lovers tell

when they allow their reason to be quelled;

promises of eternal love in finite lives.

I do not want you to be afraid of me,

I will show you all of the darkness within

if you are willing to see,

my deepest secrets shall be laid bare

if you are willing to bear,

and I shall expose my demons in a grand exposé,

and you shall decide then if you wish to stay;

if you do stay, I apologize if I wake you at night,

with my murmurs from nightmares that leave me in fright,

at such times, please, hold me tight.

I do not want you to slave away in the kitchen for hours,

and yes, I do know how you love to cook,

but I've seen what excess water does to young hands,

my mother's arthritis, the pain in her clenched fist,

as she tightens the protective medical wristbands,

and continues to stir the pot;

so we can alternate breakfast duty by the day,

you specialize in lunch, and dinner is my forte.

I do not want you to insist that we turn the lights off;

your imperfections enthrall me,

I've memorized the stretch marks all over your thighs,

the curved birthmark on your right breast

and the droopy nature of your eyes,

the scar on your lower back that resembles a mouse,

your forehead that you lament is as big as a house!

I shall draw maps of soft kisses with them as landmarks.

Forgive me,

perhaps I come off as too demanding in that last request,

I just don't want you to see your body as something to be

repressed.

I'm sure you wonder now,

what then do I want from you?

I simply want a love that I can look back on

and say, yes, that love was honest and true.

Reviews

[art94]

A sort of honest demanding love we all hope for, but never experience.