Love Skin

Our desires glow neon in the darkness
that keeps us safe and secret;
we shine Technicolor behind the veil of grey naivety,
vibrant beneath the facade that shields us
from prying ears and catty tongues.
Soft love and shrouded infatuation
pulsing quietly underneath swells of moonlight.

Fingertips, pleasurable and soothing, stroke--skin on hot skin,
while coral lips, delicate and gentle, keep radiance silent.
Ivory on porcelain, dark mascara on flushed cheeks
and steady breaths between thumping hearts.
Curves and hipbones, ribs and collarbones:
crevices hidden and adored.

Suppressed emotions and loud secrets,
hushed apologies and reluctant farewells spoken in dial tone.
Apart but whole with our voices on either side;
click and static over three miles of land-line.
Minutes spent in silence in the beauty of 2 AM,
together if only by our ears and the way
our chests rise and fall in unison.

Belief and trust, forever and always,
whispered 'I love you' and tender disagreement.
No, I love you more.
You with your scrawny arms and me, all of me,
nestled closer to you with every heartbeat.
With timid kisses and pleasant warmth,
eternity as only yours doesn't seem so impossible.