"i love(d) you" // poetry

the first time i told you,
i thought you didn't hear -
although my voice was steady,
perhaps my words weren't clear.

the second time i told you,
the sky was cold and gray,
a gust of wind caught my words,
while you were looking away.

the third time i told you,
we were in the midst of a crowd -
i whispered it in your ear,
but your own voice was too loud.

the fourth time i told you,
it was spoken under my breath,
i thought my words were loud enough,
but then you turned and left.

the last time i told you,
it was i who walked away -
for words are simply words
if they cannot make you stay.

(a few iPhone snapshots from my recent trip to Ohio - more pictures from that journey coming soon - and some stubborn lines of poetry that wouldn't leave me alone. xo)