Every once in a while,
I feel my veins bracing
for the flood of you rushing in,
and I can hardly breathe.

When you say—
It’s enough of a distance,
I swear it couldn’t matter.

Every once in a while,
I go to war with myself,
fighting the ache that lingers,
and my heart forgets to beat.

When you say—
I don’t want to wake up,
I swear it will always matter.

Every once in a while,
I see your smile,
feel gravity tether me here,
when all I want is to be near.

When you say—
It’s all I ever needed.
It’s not the distance;
nothing stands in our way.

I just want to exist