Somehow I don’t see what is there, but what is underneath. Only visible to those who open their minds and reach out to the invisible force behind
your being. Everyone is exposed to it, but not all realize what they’re missing.
Fearsome exterior; piercings, superfluous facial growth, towering presence looming above their heads while they watch the feet passing beneath lowered eyes. The startling hair, spiked and gelled and matching the fierce goatee reaching towards the floor from a face most don’t care to look beyond.
Huge eyes, fringed by lashes dark enough to shame those who wear mascara and call themselves beautiful.
Large ears, all the better for listening to the endless stream of worries forced from between my lips, dragged from a usually silent mentality by the way you make me feel when I’ve emptied myself of all the horrible things built up in my soul during the years I never knew you. The smiles you dragged from me, the fears you made me forget, the soundless mirth you turned into laughter for all to hear.
The face I love, the face I can stare at for years and still see something new every second. Strong hands, just a larger version of my own, holding away the monsters of my past without blocking the memories necessary to move on. Wide shoulders, sturdy arms, easy to lose oneself within.
Size fifteen feet, the hours of shoe shopping together; a place to stand while dancing with arms wrapped around your waist.
Your skinny legs, exactly the same length as mine. The borderline lordosis I see in your spine, allowing for amazing flexibility. You can put your head between knobby knees while I struggle to touch my toes without breaking something.
Your little tummy, my perfect pillow after working all day and coming home to you. How many hours have we spent under layers of blankets on the couch playing Mario Party and watching Disney movies? Each one a treasured memory.
Driving to see you for the first time, through the snow at night, with someone I’ve only talked to once on the phone. Almost two years ago and a lifetime passed.