When I say I love you I don’t mean
I want to shackle you to my hip
Don’t mean that
I want you to crawl inside my mind and think for me
Don’t mean that
I only like the way you look when you feel pretty
Don’t mean that
I expect you to expect that I expect expectations of some kind
What it means is
What it means is
I like the crooked parts of your face
I really laugh at your dumb jokes because I get them
I’d lie if it made you feel better at all
When I say I love you
It’s not an antiphon
I don’t dream of a call and response
It is kinda not even about what you think
as much as it is about my chest feeling thick
and too solid to move if I don’t lift the weight
Of telling you that in case you couldn’t tell…
I love you