The things that matter in a relationship...

...are often the things that drive us the most crazy or the things that we typically do not consciously notice. These might range from the socks that are incessantly in the middle of the floor, or the mole just above our loved one's ear. The way they take their coffee. The manner in which they sit in a chair. Their snoring or their temper or their nervous tics.

Holding On 

(original poetry)

My weak fingers bend
back in the wrong hands,
but curve comfortably
at a natural angle
in the crook of your elbow.

It is the difference between
force and choice.
My skin seeks the warmth
of yours, rough and calloused,
a promise of hard work
and commitment.

There is no pretense
in the arch of your bicep,
only a silent request
that I hold on
loosely below it,
my fingertips grazing
the softest part of
your inner arm,
all of the thoughts
without words
pulsing just below
the most translucent places.