Love Poem #1

The red crowned cranes of Hokkaido
Know the meaning of love.
They mate for life
And dance and cry in courtship displays
That strengthen their bond.
They want the whole world to know
They are happy.
Together.

I know what it feels to want love
When I focus on the shadows
Dancing on my ceiling
As you fill me up with a bit of you
And whisper,’ I love you’ into my ears.

I believe you for a moment.
But I also know the reality-
There will be another naked girl
Lying beneath you some day.
And you will say the same magical words
In the same mundane way.

When lovemaking becomes a chore
We stop pretending too.
You hide us inside the confines of my bedroom
When you are done convincing yourself
That you have given me enough,
You leave.

The sheets smell of you
Even hours after you are gone.
I weep in the shower
For the love I don’t see in your eyes

We are habits.
You and I.
We stopped being lovers a long time ago.

Maybe we were born into the wrong species.
Maybe we will be reincarnated as the cranes
And dance by the lake, in the snow.
And we will say,’I love you’ in crane language.
And we will believe it
Till death do us apart.