Heartbeats

My heart does not skip beats at your arrival;
instead, it slows to calm under your words’ balm,
because it knows it has found a place to belong.

My heart does not sing like a bird on wing,
but huddles and hums with a quieter joy,
because intimacy means more than infatuation.

My heart does not leap like a bullfighter’s pulse;
instead, it spins me up in a silken cocoon,
where it is only you and I for the afternoon.

My heart does not look forward or back,
but sinks into the moment like roots,
finding connection amidst the uncertainty.

My heart does not cling to promises forever;
instead, it takes moments as something savored,
to be cherished when they are no more.

I know, for you, my love is a cracked pearl,
a flawed gem, filled with mortal shortcomings,
but it is still given from the bottom of my heart.