sometimes,

love’s flame

is a fire that spills forth

as the sky cracks:

dawn’s light.

sometimes, 

love’s flame

is a lamp burned.

its oil:

midnight.

love’s labors:

so oft

in those liminal spaces.

the heart’s torch:

the bravest tea light.

this love:

it is a quiet courage.

it has 

no hall of fame.

it is

a gift

with no wrapping.

you feed on it—

you cannot see it.

you live on it—

you cannot feel it.

sometimes,

the truest loves

are unspoken,

& unseen,

but lived:

in the shadows.