You Spent Your Whole Morning Making Me Feel Better

Your bed, the epicenter of my certainty

My love is a miniature beast that sleeps wherever, whenever
A housecat that makes its human question who is master

I wake up to the fur of your face pressed against the back of my neck
You kiss me like the porcelain figurine that I am
You kiss the broken places that you've somehow held together


This will always be the year you knew you could never own me
This year is a photograph highlighting every freckle on my face-
A bowl of pastel valentine sweetheart candy messages
Twinkling matte, tiny hearts stamped with the words, "I'm yours"

And because I am yours, you know what I need
I am a houseplant that you invented, you happy scientist
You have decided it is your job to keep me living
You never told me this, but the knowledge of this breathtaking truth
Is the only thing I have ever felt in my bones
This is the only fact that is buried marrow-deep

Because you know what I need, you take me to get tacos and coffee
Somewhere on the East side you pull out my chair
As if we haven't already gone to eat together 563 times

We sit across from each other, and every time
We look at each other we laugh
Every third time I look at you, I wink
You wink back, and you weren't even able to do this
When I met you