This Is How Love Starts
By Ari Eastman
it will always start small
like this,
like a boy with eyes like the Pacific Ocean
& me pretending I can swim
against the tide
& hoping the drowning is gentle
that it swallows me
fast
& soft
it will always start small,
like this,
like a tender lip
fitting in the groove
of my bottom lip
in the dark
& wanting to taste
every last
bit
it will always start small,
like this,
like a forgotten song
that only one person remembers
& you don’t know how
you lasted this long
without someone else
who knows the lyrics
it will always start small,
like this,
like oncoming traffic
that you knew was coming,
you saw it across the street
& still,
you didn’t move
& still you said,
“Give me your worst.
Show me exactly what Love can do”