TENDERNESS

My friend beside me, quiescent and open,
Floating in tranquility.
I snuggle into you, gently reaching.
You drift toward me, slipping out of sleep.

Spoon-like we mingle, slowly intertwining,
Legs a tangle, warm skins blending.
Breath joining breath,
A conversation of sighs.

My heart softly opens, your tenderness unfolding.
The yielding flesh of your breast in my hand,
The gentle pulse of your heart.
Your tears kissing my skin, merging with mine.

You are my friend, here beside me.

TOUCHED

My heart is full, my spirit peaceful,
The fist in my stomach unclenching.
A gentle fountain unleashed,
Like ocean water softly streaming
Into my core.

Down, down, past the soft places,
The passionate places,
Flowing down, through my legs,
Down through the soles of my feet.

This is me, alive and opening.
This is me, touched by you.

Sometimes the truth is like a weapon,
Sometimes, a way to see;
Sometimes we use it to be right,
Sometimes it sets us free.

And, there are times when it multiplies,
Like the branches of a tree,
Splitting and growing into different worlds,
One for you; one for me.

And somewhere, there’s a bigger truth,
Without a capital “T”,
With room enough for each of us
To grow, to love, to be.

Tender and strong,
Gentle and tough,
Standing solid and open.
Accepting, ready.

Dancing in lightness,
Flowing past the sofa,
Lifted by music,
Your smile floating by.

Steadfast and tranquil,
Eyes ahead,
Feet firmly flowing,
Communing with the sand.

Curled as in birth,
Gentle and yielding,
Reaching softly,
Body and spirit.

I wish I was there to hold you,
curled up in my lap like a baby,
to pet your head, your hair, your face, your eyes.

As you rest in my arms,
I would feel your breath slowing,
your tension easing,
your mind slipping into peacefulness.

If this universe were different,
I would slip through its interstices
to find you on the other side,
and share what comfort I could with my touch.

If space and time weren’t in between,
I would be with you now.

But in my heart’s mind,
space and time melt,
And these things are possible,
and they happen now.

I see and feel you next to me,
your breath and softness filling me.

Your tenderness, your gentle spirit,
awakening my softest self,
vulnerable, alive.

In my mind’s eye, I see you sleeping,
Nestled with the little cloth creatures
Who befriend you each night.

In my heart’s eye, I slip softly
Into your room,
Watching you, peaceful.

In my heart and mind,
I feel you next to me,
Breathing, alive.

Sometimes, words aren’t enough,
And feeling floods me,
Like warm water,
Floating me inward, up, and out.

I slide into a parallel place,
A breath away from here,
And there you are,
Your body sleeping,
Your spirit free.
I curl up beside you,
Feeling your warmth, giving you mine.

This is our gentle dance, our silent blessing,
Touching softly across a continent,
A long and tender thread, always between us.
This is our silent blessing, our gentle dance.

What if you turned to me, in the middle of the night,
Your arm a gentle snake wrapping around me;
And your fingers brushed my penis’ flesh,
Warming, swollen into wakefulness;
What if your breath caught in the back of my neck,
Rising, sighing;
And what if I turned to you,
My waking lips finding you.

In this dream, I am inside you,
Gently sliding,
Drifting with you.

And, in this other dream, you are asleep beside me.
We drift, side by side,
Dream next to dream,
Soul next to soul,
Floating, peaceful.

Well, we may not be Valentines
(because we aren’t lovers),
But I am very fond of you
(and there’s lots of ground that covers!);

Through all these years of knowing you,
Through growing, and through sharing,
I’ve come to marvel that there are
So many ways of caring.

I have lusted after you, it’s true,
And harboured many dreams,
But I’ve grown to hold our friendship now
In a different light, it seems.

To see your spirit deepening,
To watch your courage soaring,
Enriches what I feel for you
(in a way that’s never boring!)

Yes, we’ve had our ups and downs,
And our path has not been clear,
Yet a spirit lives beneath all that
That I hold very dear.

So, whatever else may be the case,
I know that I love you,
And I’m sending you this wish, my friend -
Happy Valentine’s to you!