My Dearest Eric

My Dearest Eric,

Where do I begin To find words that even come close To describing the way I feel about you? It’s like doing a pencil sketch of a sunset; Perhaps I can create a lovely work of art, But it’s only the faintest skeleton of the thing. Without the context of a thousand micro-colors To give it value and shade and form, I find a need to question shadow-making For the purpose of shadow-making.

But here I am, making muddles of words anyway Expressing nothing but my own overwhelm At attempting to define something So massively beautiful, eloquent, deep, rich… With thousands of descriptors Yet to be created to even come close To encapsulating your likeness. Why even attempt to paraphrase perfection?

Before I knew you, I dreamed of a love that was a pencil sketch Of the sunset that we now share, and Piled hopes high on birthday-caked candlesticks And stars on missions across the sky And tarnished pennies at the bottom of pools. I told myself that I believed in a love like ours And I crossed my fingers and toes Long after the light in old relationships dimmed And died. Until I wondered if there was anything left To believe in.

Then in you walked, A thunderstorm on an autumn Kentucky night, And you took my struggles And loved them. Somehow together we transformed, Carbon crunching under pressure, Rearranging form.

And with you in my life, I feel stronger, freer, more alive Because you bring out the best in me In ways I never anticipated needing. Before your eyes, I swear Not a single pair of irises ever truly saw me, Never looked past the light in their own eyes To truly see me. And in your eyes, I see you. You delight me, you astonish me. I am in awe of you, my love.

And I will nurture this With all the love and resources that I have to give To create a garden that blooms Beyond our wildest dreams. I will show up every day, With respect and honesty and kindness With appreciation and awareness With a willingness to be brave, Especially when it is hard.

Because we matter. This matters.

I am yours, Forevermore.

Love, Your Tien