Love In Bloom

Lupine bloomed purple

with shades of pink and white.

I brushed my hands over the showy

yellow arrowleaf balsamroot.

I spent my life

gripping either side

of the bathroom

sink, bathing in my insecurity.

I dated women who shamed

me into keeping them around.

After Michelle moved to Texas,

I released the depression

in my chest.

I grappled with perfectionism

and that’s left me single

and unhappy.

I grasped for straws

to pin this walking contradiction

but the guilt spreads across my face.

The dirty water

washed away the arrogance

that hid inside me.

I took back the time I’d wasted

on living for the faint of heart,

but now I breathe Eloise

and have ever since she said

she’d meet me at her house

to sip scotch over rocks and belly shots.

Eloise had my heart since she hit my parked

car in a crowded parking lot.

The stars aligned, and I knew her soft hand

had room for a ring on her finger.

I told her what I felt.

Eloise told me she felt the same.

I was too stupid to spill my guts

until I shed my ignorance.

By Andy Cooper

From: United States

Twitter: AC0040