I stopped looking outside of myself for what I needed I decided to crawl into myself and nestle in I made a cocoon out of all of the things that I felt like I was missing- Love Peace Happiness Acceptance Grace Forgiveness And when I emerged The butterfly of joy flapped its beautiful wings I

“I want to be with you.” But he knew I wasn’t ready He knew I didn’t have the capacity to give my heart away He knew I lacked trust But at every turn, he made sure his words came with action I was stubborn, this I knew And that didn’t matter to him He wanted

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I say to him mid-sentence We were in the middle of a heavy debate But the way he looked at me, I couldn’t turn away “I’m just trying to drink you in.” He looked at me with the wonder in his eyes I marveled at his bravery

He felt like summertime 82 and breezy Shade trees Sun glasses Strawberry lemonade with a splash of vodka Sunshine Poolside Cool waters Sun kissed skin Road trips Loud music Sing alongs Laughter Dancing all night long Karaoke Line dancing Seafood and dessert He felt like my favorite drink Jack and coke with cherries The way

He was always intentional with his words Slow to speak Even slower to anger He was wise beyond his years His words were firm yet gracious He made safety a priority Remembering that I was a delicate flower, but he spared no correction in love I loved the way he commanded my attention No other