i met him when i was 19 years old, in a bitterly cold place
full of farmland. he was: all earth and stargazing, all wind and sky.
we spent early days creek jumping, taking endless bike rides past farms to nowhere,
running through snowstorms.
because he was my first love, my wild and tumultuous love,
it all felt too young and heady to be real, to be forever.
we split across states, then continents, then years.
but i dreamed him and dreamed him, until four years later i dreamed a dream
so vivid and aching i woke up breathless.
i emailed him, several states away. only to find out: he was coming.
a reunion at a california oceanside, heady as ever.
and then, the unimaginable reality.
we celebrated our ten-year anniversary this year.
my wild and tumultuous love.
