(I don’t usually try for poems…)

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When I’m with you, my chest feels full to bursting.

I would like to take this feeling
Put it safely in a bottle
Set the bottle on a shelf, or maybe
keep it in my pocket

So when I want to feel this feeling
I can reach out, absentminded
Fingers brush against the surface
Cool and heavy in my hands

And I’ll take a sip, and worry
That I have less in my bottle
than before.

And I’m terrified that one day
I will need to feel this feeling
And a sip won’t be enough
I’ll swallow till the bottle’s empty
Drink until the feeling’s gone

I have dreams about the bottle
Slipping, falling to the floor
Slow motion, shattering in pieces
I’d be reeling, I’d be numb

But then you’re standing right beside me
Telling stories, and I’m laughing
And my chest feels full to bursting
As I’m reaching for your hand

I can’t bottle up this feeling
I can’t put it on a shelf, and I can’t
Keep it in my pocket
I can’t take a sip whenever
I am searching for this feeling
When I’m feeling less than whole

If I can live without this bottle
Maybe I will catch the feelings
Made of everything around me
Harsh or gentle, bittersweet

So when I’m standing right beside you
Telling stories, and you’re laughing
I’ll be proud to have found something
in the intervening time
I can share to make you happy
Even one smile is an honor. Two is precious.

And it’s silly, but true.

When we’re apart, my chest feels full to bursting…