IN LOVE ?

 This drum has been beating

for the past hour

inside my chest,

keeping my hand warm

within my fiancé’s.

His right hand rests

on the steering wheel.

Locked in.

I’m in love with this man,

I repeat

like a parrot,

over and over,

trying to grow comfortable

inside the words.

Words I’ll soon announce

to the world,

claiming you as mine

like nothing has changed.

Like the bruised skin

beneath my dress

doesn’t still ache

from this afternoon.

How bold of you

to dress me up like a present

before taking me

to meet my parents,

your fingerprints

still fading beneath my sleeves.

And somehow,

between traffic lights

and your hand squeezing mine,

I almost convince myself

this is what love

is supposed to feel like.