For a moment
I thought it would be me.
She looked at me
and her eyes were shining.
She listened to me
and her lips blossomed into a smile.
I held her in my arms
and she pressed herself against me
losing herself in my warmth
if only for a moment.
But then the moment passed
and she chose you.
I don’t know why
she chose you.
I don’t know why
she looks at you
like the moon looks at the sun.
I don’t know why
your words are her ambrosia
tasting sweeter to her
than my poetry.
I don’t know why
your touch excites her
like a poker stirring a fire
flames dancing, heat rising
filling the night
with her brilliant light.
But what I do know
is that you are her lover
her consort
her happily ever after
in a way
that I will never be.
My pulse still quickens for her
and if you weren’t there
I would be there
in a heartbeat.
But if you’re going to take my place
all I ask
is that you really, truly, fully
take my place.
Take my place
the place in her arms
where you feel each other’s heartbeats
and breathe each other’s breath.
Run your hands through her hair
and trace your fingers across her cheeks
her neck, her back, her body.
Kiss her on the lips
and kiss every part of her
again and again
until she feels her beauty
in every part of her body.
Kiss away her tears
kiss away her fears
whisper in her ears
until she laughs for you
and cries for you
and burns for you
her flesh ablaze at your touch
rising with you through peaks of ecstasy
and settling down in your arms
as her muscles relax with a sigh
and her eyes close with a smile
and she cuddles close to you
and slips into sleep.
While you hold her in your arms
I will spend my nights wandering
through the clutter and chatter
of dimly lit bars
through the churning heat
of crowds dancing at concerts
through the biting cold wind
of a long walk home
at two in the morning
when the streets are sleeping
in the glare of fluorescent lights
that blot out the stars.
Someday
I may find someone
to join me in my wandering.
In the meantime
it helps me make it through the night
knowing that the woman
you hold in your arms
has found a place to be warm
a place to be safe
a place where her tears
are kissed away
and her flesh tingles
with the touch of ecstasy
and her eyes close
with a smiling sigh
as she settles down to sleep.