Only Lovers Believe

They laid in bed after,
Or maybe it was still during,
Holding each other close.
They weren’t each other’s first
And never professed to become their last.

She said I liked when you did this,
He said I liked when you did that.
He squeezed her tight
And caressed her soft
With the tips of his fingertips
Across every bare inch
A light touch could access.

She murmured
And he admitted,
My mother used to do this
With her frosted tips when I was a kid.

Something clicked into place
Like a bone beneath his shoulder
That had pained his days for ages
Radiating from untouched heartaches
As old as he once was young.

Was that a trauma release?
She asked, and he laughed,
And they settled in dreams.

The next morning they parted
With a kissed resistance and plans to return.
They joked to let go,
By now they’d both learned.

Keep my love with you today,
They said and went their ways.
Now he could give the love they’d been given,
Because he’d grieved that he hadn’t,
Because he’d forgiven.

And the Earth beneath the bedroom
Smiled, licked its leaves
And erupted with a whisper,
Now we’re living,
Speaking a language
Only lovers believe.