“I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking toward me and realized that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when
I was with you.”
Cassandra Clare

Most would consider me
Pathetic
For believing in you,
But how can I not?
You have been with me,
Stood by me,
Given me hope
And love
When all others
Turned their backs
On me.
You were my friend
As a child,
My companion and
My lover
In times since.
You have never forsaken me
Though there were times
When my own misery
Caused me to forsake you,
To no avail--
For you were always there
With your warmth
And your presence
Unquestioned,
Waiting to welcome me back,
To enfold me once again
In your loving arms
And fierce protectiveness.
Now the years and days
Of hardship and heartache
Are etched into my complexion,
Each one a painful memory,
Yet still I remain,
Sometimes bowed
But never broken,
Standing stay-fast because
You loved me enough
To stand with me
And give me hope
With your eternal love.

c. 2025

*For Michael*