“Step Counter”
I do not fall in Love,
I step into her.
The first step is “Hello”
but do not think this is a stroll
through the neighborhood,
a short walk from Meet Street
to Soul Mate Ave
a few blocks away.
I do not fall in Love,
I place one foot at a time
on her rock, step 10,
step 50.
This is a hike
up mountains
with bruised knees,
step 162,
and cut hands.
But my God.
When you come up over the ridge
on step I lost count
it’s beautiful.
But you’ll never see the view,
if you drive down the highway
Looking for exit numbers:
step 10, kiss,
step 15, more than kiss,
step 40, I do,
step happily ever after.
I do not fall in Love
because Love does not live at
First Sight.
Love lingers amongst graves,
her gown embellished with
chrysanthemums and
forget-me-nots.
She cries dried,
furled petals
because Love takes a lifetime
of steps
and more.
I do not fall in Love.
No, this is an expedition
to the end of our lives
and if you step with me
long enough,
maybe we will reach
Love’s peak—
and walk down
the other side,
in step.
But I’m getting ahead
of myself.
Let’s just worry about
Step 2.
(Photo credit: Pexels / unsplash.com)