My Neighbors Hate Us ~ Isabelle Elaine

i couldn’t know gentleness until i knew

the scratch of your stubble on a sunday morning

your thumb pressed to my dimple and

i’ve lost so much sleep over you

whispered against my skin

dip in my knee hugging the inside of your thigh

our hair gets in the way of our mouths and

i move to get up, saying

i should really go brush my teeth

then your arms tug my waist

and i’m normally so stubborn but

today i’m giving up easily

we kiss and stumble and giggle our way into my shower

turn it on hot and wash each other’s backs

vanilla bubbles bursting sparkling clean at last

sending our burdens running down the drain

you crack a joke and my eyes screw shut

belly clenching with the force of my joy

heavy eyebags be damned,

i’m smiling so hard my face begins to cramp –

no need for caffeine when we’ve got dopamine

these walls are paper-thin and

whoever lives next door must be sick of us but

i bet if they put their ear to the wall

they’d smile, roll their eyes with a

at least someone’s happy

and they’d probably

be laughing too