Not for the dress alone, though it was red,
and carried the room like fire carries light.
Not for the beauty of the face alone,
though it was gentle, and proud, and true.
But for the smile,
the first I saw,
that held no vanity,
no asking,
no disguise.
It came like rain to thirsty ground,
quiet, unbidden, and remembered.
Since then I have wished one thing:
not to stand afar as a passerby,
not to be lost in the drift of strangers,
but to be near,
to be counted on,
to be the voice that answers
when your night turns heavy.
Take this as my beginning,
a word instead of a rose.
If you will have it,
let it open slowly,
like trust,
like morning.
@okelododdychitchats
okelododdychitchats 