Brooklyn (2008)

Let us pretend, for a moment, that we are alone together, that there is nothing else in this immediate world but you and I.
Let us imagine that under these circumstances, there is nothing between us but our love and friendship.
Let us believe there is no time, no distance, no barriers keeping us from being in this moment.
I would ask you to hold my hand, gently massaging it with kisses.
I would ask you to look into my eyes, and not look away.
I would ask you to tell me a joke, to reassure me that this life isn’t as serious as I make it out to be…
…so that I might smile, so that you might laugh, so that your laughter may sink into my lips.
I would ask you to forget all your loneliness, all your lingering doubts and overwhelming fears – so that I might forget mine.
I would want to hold you close to my chest, so that we may pretend that our hearts are not hidden behind flesh and bone.

Sometimes, it is painful to be apart from you. I find myself jealous of the boys you smile at, the people you talk to, the streets you walk down, the grocery store clerks who sell you skittles and spaghetti. I imagine that they don’t even realize how lucky they are – getting the opportunity to witness you.

Then there are times, times when I love you so much that I can let you go. There are times when I love you so much, I cherish the freedom you have to move about this world at your own pace – where you want to go, where you need to go – here, there, anywhere and everywhere…

There are times when I realize that love does not simply mean that I am yours, and you are mine.

I do not know which feeling I like better – getting you all to myself, or giving the world a chance to experience you – but I suppose the answer lies somewhere in between.

I end up swinging between this beauty and this pain of loving you, this sadness and this joy, or the sweet and the sour…
Perhaps, in this lopsided world, it is important to have both. It is important to know both. It is important to live both.

Now is a time of great distance, of great confusion.
I long to hear you whisper your secrets to me again, but I realize that you must now whisper your secrets to the world.