No one else

Vulnerability is a lie I tell to make you feel close.

Meanwhile, I hide — afraid to face my greatest gift.

Love confuses those hardened by life’s steady struggles,

shaping the heart into something unfamiliar.

Tomorrow is promised to no one,

but neither are you —

and that scares me more than anything.

Creating obstacles is my specialty,

because I fear what I’ve never had.

Trying to understand “Is this real?”

brings a headache no medicine can cure.

Wanting to know if everything will be okay

is universal —

but not trusting you

hurts the most.

Trying to believe your words

match my undying love

sends unexplainable chills through me.

Being a man means performing masculinity,

maintaining an image of dominance.

But your standards eclipse all that.

I’d be anything you need,

just to earn a place in your life.

Your love means eternal happiness —

so teach me your bravery,

and I’ll follow you into war,

as long as we means forever.