Pablo Neruda

Are you two

always that happy?

a neighbor asked

suspiciously one day.

To the outsider

the voyeur

the consumer

of antisocial media

that exalts

appearances

and polaroid moments

to the detriment

of real relationships

that bleed and scar

and therefore believes

that nothing is as it seems;

that screams loud

and often without

ever listening to

the other such that

real communication

is becoming archaic

and truth a word

with no meaning;

to these onlookers

our love

seems exaggerated

photoshopped

for Facebook

or Instagram,

public consumption

uppermost

in our minds;

but we are truly blessed

to have found love

that makes suffering

pain and heartache

something shared

and therefore less

burdensome;

to smile not just for

a camera but rather

because

our hearts are full

of joy in our love and

the life we have built

together;

to lay quietly and hear

our hearts beat

as one

holding hands

while legs entwine

like puppies

as we fall asleep.

Where I does not exist, nor you,

So close that your hand on my chest is my hand,

So close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.*

*https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/121705-sonnet-xvii-i-do-not-love-you-as-if-you