Renee Watts

If love were a place, where would it be?

Would it be in the arms of their gentle embrace?

Would it be where echoes of their laughter kiss the wall?

Is it the place where only love can dwell?

Would it be ever changing?

My heart aches,

You linger in mind,

Where others should live, you stay.

Why can’t I forget something,

That was never meant to be?

Everything reminds me of you

The gentle patter of raindrops,

Deep in my chest

Lies an ever-throbbing ache,

A constant reminder

Of love unreturned.

Late at night, I lie awake,

Dreaming of things that could never be.

A smile, a laugh, a fleeting gaze—

I watch her sob in the night

Her fingers clutching a photo of her love,

Pressing it to her chest,

As if paper could soften the ache.

She whispers their name in the dark,

Her eyes fall upon me,

an array of pale blues and silver light.

They hold a look I cannot name,

yet my heart leaps all the same.

Her head tilts,

and a smile blooms across her face —

Family wears many faces— 

For some, it’s warmth and comfort, 

For others, it’s silence or storm. 

Often, we search for it in strangers, 

Bound not by blood, 

But by soul.