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Before I could love you
I'd have to know the scent of your skin.
The way your hair smells,
Two days without a shower,
Clinging to itself.
The way your hands are -
Broken nails, painted nails,
Nails chewed to the quick.
Before I could love you
I'd need to know the colour of your eyes.
The shape of your cheeks,
When you laugh,
Do dimples appear?
Do freckles paint beneath your eyes,
Across your nose,
Or is your skin like china?
As to whether your front teeth are crooked,
Or your lips a funny shape -
Off-centre -
Before I could love you -
I'd have to know if you paused,
Took a breath,
Looked down at your feet.
Before I could love you -
It would be so easy to love you.


February 10, 1995
© Lela Kaunitz