Dear Reader by Kory Wells

Dear Reader

It’s true that when
you’re near I want

to kiss your cheek,
stroke my thumb

across your lips,
brush away

the pretense
of a crumb;

it’s true I want to
invite you to paradise.

Or coffee and chocolates.
Or beneath the covers

of my bed. Yes,
I’m more tease

than temptress.
Truth is,

I’m simply lovesick
on possibility

alone, lovesick
for the intimate,

the tender, this sense
of you and me.

Think of us—
a cozy room,

an amber bowl
of light, a sprinkle

of sugar across
the clear night sky.

Would that not be
safe and true as

the stars? Isn’t that
what we long for?

What I want for us
is this—a warm and quiet

place, and time enough.
Words. Breath. Turn

after turn of page. Rhythm
rising in our blood,

insistent as the moon,
round as our hopeful mouths.

by Kory Wells, from Sugar Fix

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Editor’s Note: Personification speaks throughout this poem, imbuing the imagery with the romance every reader feels for a good book.