Orbits of the Heart

I saw her first, white boots and all
Through the buzz of bees
We met, not too far from her garden
On another planet, as if across
Two celestial counties

In a past life, a passion for the arts
Oh, watch her belly dance, her hips sway
She’s the queen of (my) heart(s)
In all of life’s matters
Even Russian ballet

Not unlike my heart, in her curls
A hummingbird takes flight
Stubborn, as if against society’s pearls
Her hair, refusing to lay flat
Without a fight

Yosemite and Diablo, with her I’ve hiked far
Even slid across ice without fear
Oh, there’s more than one bar
(When she’s not dancing on it)
That she can clear

With voice notes that could make you age
Over long calls, we’ve cross-ed mini swords
And spun a tapestry of letters
As if speaking our very own secret language
While wearing borrowed sweaters

I fear how profoundly her absence would echo
I fear now, the cruel twist of the knife of fate
How stark the silence
(No more Bollywood goss)
That would refuse to dissipate

She came to me like laughter, a roaring sea
Taught me her language of dreams
A sanctuary, rescuing me
In the stillness of my dark night
My solace, her fiercely gentle dynamite

(I’d written this in 2024 to my then-girlfriend-now-wife. Posted with her permission)