If you read my old letters
–my old love poems–
Of pining and heartbreak
And pocket-sized hope
You might picture me
Widowed by the cliffside
Crashing waves
Weeping heart
I thought love looked like
Something I could draw on a map
Every twist and milestone accounted for
Every drama just a beat in the story
That led to a singular happy ending
It involved a wedding dress
Thank fuck love is bigger than that–
Soulmates and parents and siblings
And friends who’ve known you forever
Thank fuck love isn’t only who you kiss
But rather who you bare your heart for
Black spots and irregular beats and
They love you gently through it all
I used to believe
That if love didn’t look like the stories
It wasn’t there
How beautiful it is
To be wrong
With Love,
Natalie