Four Minutes, Forever

I tell you I’m going to bed,

and you follow soon thereafter,

slipping beneath the covers,

wrapping your arms around me

with the vow we made in the beginning,

four minutes of embrace.

A promise you have never broken.

Your breath warms my hair,

your voice is low,

steady as the tide.

“Are you happy?” you ask.

“Yes,” I whisper. “Very.”

“Do you feel loved?”

“Yes,” I say, “I feel loved.”

“You are safe with me,”

you murmur into the quiet,

and the four minutes stretch

into something endless

until I drift into sleep.

You slip away,

As the night owl in you restless,

but you return before you eat your cold canned soup,

pressing a kiss upon my forehead.

“I love you,”

you say softly into my dreams.

“You are so beautiful.

I will love you forever, always,

you make me happy.”

Another kiss upon my forehead

and you disappear into the kitchen.

Later, you come back to bed,

and gather me into your arms once more.

This time, you fall asleep before me,

and I stay still,

listening to the rhythm of your breath,

knowing that even while I’m awake,

this love is like a dream,

and while I dream,

I am blissfully in love.

Sincerely, Krystle Kelley