Let Me Love You The Only Way I Know How

i never knew when
and i was not even sure
how, it is as if
i was made to long
for you,
to long for the feel
of your lips
against my cheek,
to long for
the feel of your
arms embracing my
emptiness in the warmth
of you, to long for the
feel of you and all the
endless possibilities
we hold.
i crave for you,
i crave for you the
only way i know how,
i crave for you
in the silence of my
tightly concealed lips
while words and phrases
tangle themselves
inside me, knocking against
my teeth and biting the
insides of my
cheeks wanting to come out.
but i won’t-
i won’t let them out.
because i fear
that if i do,
it would be a period
to every sentence i
never had the courage to
say, the period to
every sentence i desperately
wanted you to hear.
so i won’t,
i won’t let them out.
i’ll let them live
inside me for as long as
i could, and maybe someday,
i’d be able to say them
out loud, to whisper them
against your lips, to
etch them on your skin.
maybe someday i’d have the
courage to. but for now
let me love you in
the silence of my lips,
let me love you
the only way i
know how-
through these words-
let me love you
with all these words,
phrases and all
these pauses,
for that’s the only
way i know that
i could love you
without you knowing
that i do.