Dear Future Significant Other

Dear future significant other,

Because I love you,

I’ll stay me,

And because you love me,

You’ll stay you.

Even at seventeen

I’ve seen others fall in love

But not me.

You see, My current love life

can be described as non-existent

Yet completely complicated.

Even at seventeen.

I am a peach in a candy stand

Where the hands of the childish boys

Reach for the sweets,

Not quite ready to give up the simple sugar

For something that needs the effort

Of peeling back a protective layer;

Or handling something

That can easily bruise.

So I’ll stay unchosen

Since I am a peach in a candy stand.

I’ll dream,

Longing for bear hugs,

Floods of forehead kisses,

And a hand in mine.

I’ll still refuse to whine about my waiting,

Although I hope the butterflies

Will soon nest in my stomach

So I may no longer covet the joy

I have yet to taste,

And I’ll dream.

I’ll stay patient.

Even when my heart flutters

At the buttered words of a boy.

I may dance in the light of his attention,

And I may believe you have finally come,

But then he’ll strum on the hearts of others.

That’s how I’ll know he is not you.

Though my heart will ache,

I’ll stay patient.

Dear future significant other,

Because I love you,

You will be mine,

And I will be yours,

Not worrying if I am simply

A rotation of girls

You are picking through.

I promise to stay me

Because I don’t want you having to chip away

The gray shell

Society tries to fit me into.

But you must stay you.

Because if I wanted someone normal

I wouldn’t have waited for you.

As I fall in love with your quirks,

You will fall for mine,

So I promise to stay me.

I know we will be comfortable.

You can wear sweats,

And I won’t wear makeup

Because I will love your soul.

We will make dinner

And I won’t have to suck in my stomach

Whenever I think you are looking at me,

Because I’ll see look at me often

And I will know you love me,

Curves and all.

We will be comfortable.

We’ll spend time together

And let the hours slip away

as we cuddle in silence,

Or as we rant to each other,

Sounding like an old married couple.
We’ll spend time away,

You can have a boy’s night

And I will have a girl’s night,

Or just everyone all together

And we’ll all spend time together.

But I will hurt you.

Our sides may be permanently sore

As laughter pours across our conversations

That seem pointless to others.

I’ll tell you a dumb joke

And you’ll laugh at my dumb joke

Until I laugh at you laughing

At my dumb joke.

We will tease each other,

Never trying to insult,

But giving pounds of apologies

If we happen trip out of bounds.

It will happen,

For mistakes happen,

And I will try my best to never hurt you,

But I will hurt you.

I’ll tell you how important you are

And how wonderfully far from perfect,

For that’s what I’ll love about you.

If I could speak to you now,

I would tell you to stay strange.

Never change for the world.

Even if together our broken parts

Don’t fit quite right or fill in the cracks,

We will tie ourselves to each other.

As I endure my current time alone,

I am learning to become your support,

And as you become mine,

I will tell you how important you are.

Dear future significant other,

Because I love you,

I’ll stay me,

And because you love me,

You’ll stay you.