our love burns bright,
like the wall that i burnt down
when i first met Her.
She taught me
how to draw portraits of our love
with the ash and soot,
like our love is an artwork
that’s displayed in the gallery in my heart,
but everytime i do
i draw the night sky.
because our love glimmers
like the stars up in space,
like the shimmer in her eyes
so when i tell you i pray to the universe,
i mean i pray to Her name, Rose.
like Her love pricks me
like rose thorns
and i bleed ember blood,
like this body is dying
but our flaming love
keeps the little faith i have
in a better future…
alive
and dammit,
this ocean I’m drowning in
only reminds me of Her eyes.
like i could get lost at sea
but Baby,
don't sleep for too long because
the salty ocean air
fills me with more life
than the packs of burning cigarettes in my lungs -
She is a pack of cigarettes.
like every inhale of smoke i take
stings my throat
like the lie that i love Her.
when i say “i love You”,
She doesn't know that i don't mean it.
what i mean is
no single word can explain how
our love is a eulogy
to all the expectations of love I've ever had.
because no one told me about how
when She touched me,
her soft hands would gently brush against my skin
like the dandelions
i blow on to make a wish,
or like how when she talks me,
I'd get a toothache from how sweet Her voice sounds,
and how it lingers in my head
like chiming church bells,
or the relentless pursuit of fulfillment
but i dont want it to stop.
because She feeds my soul with Her love
until i forget what it feels like to starve myself.
no one told me
about how Her voice would
play my heartstrings like a harp
that makes me reminisce on when i first met Her.
like how all the memories we share
would cling to my brain
and suffocate the incessant voices
that spoke of my unworthiness of love and affection
instead,
she speaks to me in ballads.
our love
is a ballad
that sounds louder
than the demons in my head.
I’ve taught them,
how to breath the flame of our love
and spread it like a wildfire because
our
love
cannot
be
controlled
or
tamed.
-Reo Moloabi