“To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow - this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.”
 Elizabeth Gilbert

I close the door softly
Behind me
And lean back against it
As I wrap my arms
About myself
And close my eyes
With a smile.
I listen as I hear
Your car leave
My drive
And sigh.
You're the one,
The one I've dreamt of,
Hoped for,
And nearly given up on.
How had I not known
That the one I searched for
Was right in front of me
All along?
Why had it taken so long
To see you?
To know you
As someone other than
A friend?
But now that I have
Things between us
Will never be that simple
Again,
And I wouldn't want them
To be.
You look at me
As if I were
The only woman
In your world.
You make me feel
As if you see
Only me.
Me,
With all my quirks
And imperfections,
With all those things
That other men disdain.
Have you always
Looked at me thus?
Perhaps you have
And it is only now
That I'm able to see myself
Through your loving eyes.

c. 2023