Flying

I can't believe it
you're mine.
you've enveloped me in the protective circle of your arms
and I just lay here
as we exchange body heat and sweet nothings
little butterflies that leave your lips
land on my ear and flutter their way down
somewhere below the source
of the rhythm
that joins yours in a drumline
and they tickle their wings against my skin
making my cheeks turn pink
like the sky just before the sun peeks over the edge of the world.
the sun...
the sunrise?
hitting my eyes
and it was
just a dream.

I'm home. in my bed.
I'm wrapped in a cocoon of blankets
but my head is still wrapped up in you
my body warmth reciprocated only by
the soft feathers around me.
So I drag myself from my nest
and try to forget
the way my mind told me
that your hands feel

And I wander
through the rest of my day
with nothing nearly as exciting
as the moments that my subconscious provided
cars, bicycles, buses
crowds of people
books
teachers that drone on and on
and on.
but then
with my favorite bag in tow
leather strap cutting into my shoulder
I see you
underneath the eucalyptus trees.
the trees that remind me of younger days
of my grandmother's.
and the leaves crush under my feet,
with that usual punch you in the olfactory bulb scent
that is so faint
that it actually just kind of
tickles.
the way that the butterfly wings
are starting to do again
when you look at me that way.

when you look at me that way
I feel like you're pulling me out of my cocoon
where I've been hiding away from the world
unfurling my wings
and telling me that I can fly.
Me? fly?
I can barely put one foot in front of the other without falling down.
but I trust you, when you look at me that way.
So I tilt my head to the sky
and imitate the birds
I push away from the earth, from the world
and my whole heart starts to soar
skipping beats and skimming over clouds
when you look at me that way
I feel like I'm flying
among the stars
that taste minty fresh
and tingle across my feet
like tiny kisses from icicles.

When you look at me that way
you say what your words can never tell me
the eyes are the window to the soul
but yours are doors
to a different dimension
to a separate world
an alternate reality
where I can fly with you.

Your look shows me
promises unspoken.
and you reach for my hand
for MY hand.
and we walk slowly
with our fingers intwined
like the teeth of a zipper
I pinch myself, just to be sure-
but no, this time
I'm flying for real.