I see your face; autumn leaves framing soft curves

Like a halo, brown entwined with gold. So much

Gold. We hold birdsong in our palms, laughing

At nothing. Perhaps there is no nothing because here you are, filling voids 

With flowers. Roses beneath fingertips. Sunbeams sifting through our eyes, suspending us

In flaxen afternoons. Sandwiches untouched in the wicker basket

At our feet, our banquet laid out on gingham. Your eyes flash

When I tell you about how we are eternal

Under this sky, under this tree. So much gold. Thistles-specked

Shadows. Giggles forming a cocoon of light until we metamorphize

Into a butterfly, linked arms spread in

Flight. You peek through the branches, our fingers dancing

Along with the twigs. I hear my name passing through your teeth,

Woven into melodies, passing through oak until I am just a home

For your voice.

What would happen if I swim through the thicket, let the sweet air melt me

Into your silhouette? Hair billowing, our hands clasping the strands before they fall through hazel, held like 

Lifelines. So much gold.