Loving her habitually in seven steps..!

1. Be wary of her use for your coffee in that gourmet taste makes for smoother water colours.

She will steal your cups and discarded grounds but the paintings by her hand will be worth the theft.

2. In the event that you are unable to bring yourself to speak to her she will press on,

27 phone calls on your birthday with no need for explanation when giving in to it incessant ringing.

Her voice runs like a hum and gentle purr, abetting in your neglected normalcy.

3. In a mocking tone over the way you play your guitar, clean the dishes in the sink,

put away your music, and organize your collection of pencils, she will laugh in criticism.

But she does not think less of you.

May she hesitate when continuing as that pained expression welds your eyebrows down

and she can then see the error of her phrases.

But do not blame the monkey for how it picks at your scalp nor the dog for how it bites at your mouth.

4. Tell her that you love her in that enourmous lexicon of slang and proper grammar.

When she showers and you kiss away the beads of water, whisper it in to her neck.

When she goes to hang up the phone and doesn’t expect your sympathies, let it ring in her ear.

When her anger encompasses every thought,

calm her flurried worries and perturb the tension with those words.

5. Keep an eye on her restless limbs in the winter.

Cold wind blows but not like the stench of ice from her home where snow fell in sheets and droves.

She will miss her mountain mama and eden valley.

She will miss the overcast of storms like you miss the lightening and thunder.

6. She will see your scars as maps to her pleasure, your bruises like stamps to identify her love,

and yellowing scabs in the manifested jealousy of sensations.

She will ask to emit pain and admit to asking for it in return.

The vibrations of fingers on fraying knots and the ends of your neck or wrists come

with the conditions that she will hurt you but she will never harm you.

That words to describe your wounds will be that of inflict, hold, choke, denied,

throttled, spank, scratch, claw, groped, squeeze. But never strike.

Never hit. Never slap. And her coddling hands will induce the same loving touches every time.

7. You are an ocean she cannot stay afloat in.

She does not know your waves, her vessel is not sea worthy,

your tumultuous wildlife can capsize her in an instant.

Write in sea foam and clam shells the expectations you carry.

Carve your wishes into drift wood.

In sweet keening tones let your intentions be the lullabies she falls asleep to.