i will heat soup for you
over the tiny flames of bic lighters
if these walls fall down
and we’re banished to the edge of the woods
i will wash your clothes in the stream
no matter how cold and raw
the current makes my hands
i will put a bed of flowers over the pine needle carpet of the ground
so you might find a softer place
to sleep
if you find yourself kept awake
by the moon bouncing off the water
i will conduct a symphony of crickets
and owls
and cicadas
into an endless lullaby
if your fingers yearn for a ring
they can have the ones around my eyes
i will kiss you when you want a kiss
and carry the heavy things
i will bend my back
to carry the heaviest things for you
if you need me to,
if these walls fall down
and we’re banished to the edge of the woods