Flicker

I'm trying too hard
to capture something
flittering and flickering-
a lightning bug, a shooting star,
a flash, a spark, a blink of an eye.

I want a love that I can catch
in a giant net like an old cartoon
and put it in a mason jar
and watch it grow and live in there.

I want to be able to swallow it
like the magic beans in a children's book
and have them change me
into something shiny, new, and wonderful.

I want a love that I can wear
like a comforter on a winter night
and sit before a roaring fire,
bask in crackling firelight,
and have it make me feel so safe
that I fall asleep on the living room floor
and you pick me up and tuck me in
like a little girl who's stayed up too late.

I wish that I could love you
like a sunkissed summer afternoon
like playful dogs the smell of leaves
and things that make you smile
and you don't know why.

I think that we could be so great
like Scarlett and Rhett if he hadn't left
'cause frankly my dear who else would laugh
at your silly jokes and goofy smiles
and we could take adventures
let's just leave today and not come back.

And I can see just what I want
it's flittering and flickering
and I can't seem to catch it yet
but I've got a net and I'm running fast.