do not love

By: Kalliope Bournias

TABLE OF CONTENTS

do not love poetry art

It is not 

that I do not love you anymore.

 Believe me, 

I probably love you now more than ever. 

And I want the creases in your horsehead

 and the bends of your fingers, 

the back of your neck and the insides of your ears. 

Will you watch my eyelashes 

and give me your attention 

when I am seeping with joy?

 Will you close your eyes 

and just listen to my voice? 

Because that way, I promise,

 you will learn to love me –

 

The way I have learned to love your eyes, 

those pits of darkness, 

as you have once called them,

 if that’s so, I want to dive into darkness.

 If you let me, I will strip naked and plunge into your darkness.

I want it to seep into every crease and bend in my body.

Embracing everything I have wrong with me.

They are like portals, where each flaw and imperfection”¦ 

becomes perfection. 

I myself, am completely made of flaws. 

Stitched together with good intentions

– bathed in your darkness, I feel pure. 

Bathed in the darkness of your gaze”¦ 

I only ever feel, beautiful.

 

It is not

that I do not love you anymore. 

Believe me, I probably love you now more than ever. 

And the poetry of your presence is like no other

because what other poem 

sucks away all the oxygen in your lungs 

and all the gravity holding you grounded 

so that you have to find every corner possible, reachable

to hold on? 

What other poem makes your lips blue,

and your fingers ache so much

you want to let go? 

But you know that if you do, 

the poetry will be lost forever.

 

Will you look at me when I am not crying? 

When I am not stung, stained with insecurity? 

Will you kiss me when my skin is not dry? 

Close your eyes and listen to my voice 

because that way, 

I promise, 

you will learn to love me.

And you may not have trustworthy hands,

that deceive you on your hearts command 

and although they will never be large enough

to fit all of me 

I will give you everything 

that does fit inside of them, 

and hope it will be enough.

 

It is not 

that I do not love you anymore.

Please, listen to me,

because that way, 

you may someday learn to love me.

 

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