Her hands smell like lavender

and I’m lost in the feel of her

gentle touch on trembling fingers.

My stammering feels absurd -

a poet who can’t find a single word

to say to her.

Can she hear the drum of my heart?

Her tender eyes pull me apart

and my mouth is parched.

Stars above explode and die

in silence - I can’t hear them cry

over the sound of her breath.

Her hands smell like lavender

and I’m lost in the presence of her

tenderness divine.