Relationship Imagines

I'd Rather

Yes, I like to walk around my neighborhood in circles alone. But I'd rather tour several one-bedroom apartments with a view with you.

Yes, I like to read my books in the quiet, warm afternoon. But I'd rather have you read aloud to me at dawn.

Yes, I need complete silence to fall asleep at night. But I'd rather be sung to sleep by the rhythm of your breath and the hum of your dreams.

I'd rather drink whiskey and smoke a cigarette with you every Saturday night on our porch, overlooking the city in its vast nighttime rituals. I'd rather spend all night talking with you in the kitchen over room-temperature coffee until we see the sun come up and hear the birds sing. I'd rather be held in your arms for as long as you'll allow me. I'd rather hold your hands in despair and kiss you with desperation and look at you with the same vigor the moon reflects off the high tide waves with. I'd rather have your hip joined to mine as we figure out the piano together. I'd rather borrow your body wash when I know I have another bar of my own under the sink. I'd rather wreak of you all day and wear you on my face and have your ghost follow my shadow. I'd rather come home to the smell of simmering onions and the sound of a beer bottle being opened as you wait for me to come home. I'd rather be filled with butterflies and weak knees every time the thought of you or the remembrance of last night traces my mind.

I would rather be with you.