I will choose you,
because the first time I looked into your eyes I knew
you were genuine and flawed and imperfectly human. And you wanted nothing more
than to kiss
my soul and touch
my mind and learn every part of me
in ways that were far deeper than my skin under your fingertips.

I will choose you,
because our first embrace felt both foreign and familiar,
like finding where you belong while simultaneously being blissfully
afraid
of all that lies before you—unknown, untouched.
Just as calm as dangerous. Just as wild as welcoming, like love
right out of reach
but you can still feel its warmth guiding you in.

I will choose you,
because when it’s late and your lips
fall on my cheeks, you kiss with a longing
to speak truth to the space between my shoulder blades.
And I close my eyes to the sound of your stories
writing themselves in and through us,
until the only distance between
is our physical bodies—cages
for our beating hearts.

I will choose you,
because every time I see you
I do not simply see a person
but an emotion so deep and complex
I cannot make sense of the rush, of the senseless
smile stretching across my cheeks.
The moment
is not simply love, but everything born of that feeling—
is looking at your face and seeing
hope.

I will choose you,
because to do so is easy,
is natural, is unquestioned. Because to do so is hard
and yet,
I take the challenge willingly, no matter the day or time or season.
Because I am both fearful and fearless
and so I will stand next to you
tie our worlds together
in knots
we will loosen and tighten and unravel
and loop together as we grow.

I will choose you,
because I do not see another choice
that ends as beautifully.
Not another choice I would rather make.

I will choose you,
because I want to,
long to.
Because, simply, I believe.