If Only She Knew
I watch her move without her knowing.
Her raised eyebrow, the light in her eyes.
I secretly see—but she does not know
That she is drowning in my admiration.
I steal a moment, a glance when her
Back is to me; the curve of her spine.
The muscle in her thigh shows itself to me.
But she only sees her friend detached.
Her hand waves her words around in the air.
She is unaware that I am drinking of her and
All that she is; waiting for the next taste
Like a starving wolf in a syrupy night.
I take note of her stride without her knowledge.
I watch her heel rise, her toes bend, the back of her knee.
Her face to the sky and her laughter takes flight.
My heart beats too fast but she does not see.
She lives behind my eyes where only I know.
Her smile, every line, and every shadow of her face
Is burned into my mind in deep furrows.
Inside of my thoughts she appears again.
She does not know how easily she has stolen
The very air I am trying to breathe.
She is mine if only in my remembering.
She belongs to me behind my eyes, my captive.
Kem Lewis
