lightning

you struck me like a bolt of lightning

quick and fast and SHOCKING

it electrocuted me, shook my entire body

but you made my nerves run faster than ever

and i felt more ALIVE than anyone

who has ever been alive;

more alive than a newborn screaming and

beating his fists against his chest—

more alive than a skydiver jumping off a plane and flapping his imaginary wings, desperately trying to fly

more alive than a dying man at death’s door, helplessly fruitlessly ferociously taking his last breaths i felt more ALIVE than any of them

and i have the scars to prove it,

your lightning love s p l a y e d

across my back like a god who slapped me on the back and left his handprint there to bless me

and you brought the thunder with you,

the thunder that made your every step sound like a floorboard creaking and a symphony

and with the thunder came the rain

the rain that filled up my dead dried river bed,

nourished the soil below,

kept our love flowing,

the river of our love flowing to the sea,

the sea of lovers’ affections for each other coalesced into a world of new love and old love and bitter love and sweet love.

but then the sun came out, and your gray clouds parted. i winced in the sunshine, that scolded me for wanting the rain to come in and drench me from head to toe, to drown me and never let me go.

and so i wait, for the scorching summer days to give way to dark winter clouds,

and i wait for your flash of lightning,

i will sit outside, maybe on a tree,

and wait for you to strike me again.