Paper

Sometimes the potency of the written word backfires...

These words
That catch in my throat
Fly from my mouth
And possess my fingers
Which scribble them urgently
Onto errant bits of paper
Onto napkins
Or even onto the inside
of my arm
For lack of a pen
To make them material
They circle my mind
Calling themselves out
Over and over
Lest I forget
And they hover there
Until I can race home
And confess them
To my keyboard
I save only the best
For you
The most true
And accurate descriptions
Of how you entrance me
Of how I light up
When you smile
Of how I hang on your words
For eternity
And never grow tired
These swallowed messages
May be printed
And tacked onto walls
Or carefully transcribed
Into notebooks
But they are hidden
From you
For fear
That they do not say enough
That you might not read
As deeply
Into my words
As I read
Into yours
And so I will use this paper
Sheet by sheet
Day by day
To build
The thin wall
Between us.