Swimming Lessons: Poems

a sense of longing becomes overwhelmingly present
when I am surrounded by
all of these people.

I kept offering my heart to someone
who didn’t want it.

I seem to be your new
favorite novel.
One that keeps you up
at night,
turning my pages.

To secure protection,

the heart forms a barricade.

A double-edged sword,

often puncturing itself

more than the enemies it’s

supposed to keep out.

Puncturing me.

your eyes
seem to connect
with everything
except for me.

You have the capacity
to hurt me more
than anyone in this world.
I know
because I’ve already
felt it.
And this vengeful part
of me wants to hurt you
before you can ever
hurt me again.

This is how I know
I love you so much.
Whenever I see something
beautiful, I want you to
see it, too.

I see you in every flower and every hummingbird that happens to be near

Love is the only thing we can offer one another at this point.
So love really fucking hard.

It’s strange to see the world move on
when someone you love gets
taken from you.