I almost said I love you
But when the words came, I swallowed
As I stood there on my porch
Watching you go
Where the words never followed
My heart pumps quickly
Slippery upward slope through my lips
That time on my porch, however
It skipped a beat and changed
The rhythm
What I wanted to feel
Turned left at the fork
And free-fell down
To where I never bothered to look
But the thump of its landing
Made an echo
That I still hear
It was a fire in a way
I lit a match and held it
Until my hand got too warm.
Passing the torch
Was unnatural to me
I had never been given the honor,
So I let myself get burned.
Only years later do I wonder what it must feel like
For someone to hold candlelight up to my face
And let the warmth.