only four other people make me smile like you do.
where my slight overbite shadows either side of my mouth
where pure joy floods the gates of insecurity.
i am proudest when i’m by your side.
i watch you shoot a basketball at the backboard and completely miss, and i have to hide my tears.
you wouldn’t understand it yet. but oh, how much you do understand!
you’ve walked, you’ve run, you’ve fallen and scraped your knee all the way across the street, and
i happily came running.
you yearn for the day you’re Old Enough
i ache, pondering the day you outgrow me
i hope you know you are not a chore
you are not a bore
your mind is so full
sometimes those with arms closed don’t know to pry them open, or share
i will do my best to make you feel whole already.
i will do my best to fill some gaps,
and i will cherish putting you to bed because then i know the last thing you will hear before
drifting off is love.
Hales (he/they) is a student at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, studying Creative and Entertainment Industries and minoring in Music Business. He’s been a writer since elementary school, occupying many a notebook with short stories and personal narratives, and taking a recent liking to poetry.
Featured image by Helena Lopes on Pexels
