I have loved
I have loved
I have loved on couches and floors,
where in the blood ran like a waterfall from my knees
I have loved on dance floors and in cars,
where I could not see out of the windows from our heat
I have loved in pools,
to feel the chlorine burning my skin in the heat of passion
I have loved while showering ,
leaving the sand of the volleyball courts in the grout
I have loved in bars,
drinking two-dollar pitchers and singing to closing songs
I have loved in silence,
where a noise might get someone in trouble
I have loved while white water rafting,
searing her smile on my soul
I have loved in a Mormon town,
watching a basketball game and creating life
I have loved in college classrooms,
and in backseat study halls
I have loved in gyms and jacuzzies,
where it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission
I have loved in Arabic,
so deeply that I understood it perfectly
I have loved in churches,
where it was everything but Christian
I have loved wives and girlfriends of others,
where it was taboo to have touched
I have loved Mothers and Daughters,
where their children look like me
I have loved for a moment,
never seeing them again
And I have loved for decades,
never thinking I would touch them again, and I have
I know the ones I have loved have loved others the same way I have loved them
They have ached for their lovers, felt the heat of their lovers
I still have my love for each and every one
And I realize, love does not diminish
Love is not finite
Love expands
I have loved
