By Maeve Clinger, TIWP Student

My love

I cannot give you much

I am not the dashing hero 

Coming to save the day

I am not the sweet, neighborhood boy

Holding flowers and waiting at your door

But I can give you this

I can promise you this

Even though you don’t know me yet

One day you will

And it may be days, months, or even years from now

But until then

I’ll wait for you

I am willing to watch you 

As you become fulfilled by another man

I will watch silently 

And wait for you

As you stare at him like he’s the only star in the sky

I will watch, in my kingdom of night

And wait for you

You don’t know it yet 

But there is a part of you that knows

He is not your home

And not the perfect knight in shining armor 

That you want him to be

And a tiny part of you

Knows that where you are

Is not where you belong

And until then

Until you give in to that part

I will wait for you.

//

I like to pretend sometimes

That I don’t feel what I feel

That I actually love him

That “one true love” is actually true 

But I know, deep down

In a part of me I too frightened to enter

That he is not my one true love

And I was wrong

And I know that the brightness and light of bustling galas

Should be slow dancing in the dark with him, and only him

And castles of day, sunset and sunrise, and clouds made of honey

Should be kingdoms of night, stars in the sky, and gowns made of starlight

I like to pretend that I do not know this

And I paint on the smile of a newlywed queen, married to her handsome knight

I paint on a lie

Everyday

And as I do it, I tell myself

Today I will go to him

Today I will leave 

Today is the time 

And every single time, I let myself surrender 

But I do know

That one time, one day,

I will listen

And when I finally travel from sea to sea, 

From dawn to sunset,

He will be there

Waiting for me.