Love Poem: What Is It Like For You To Fall In Love
C.W. Bryan Avatar
Written by: C.W. Bryan

What Is It Like For You To Fall In Love

For me the world becomes a playground, 
the gray concrete becomes the forgiving mulch
beneath the swing set. The clouds start to move slower 
and they all start to look more like dinosaurs or cowboys 
when I watch them saunter across the sky. 

The birds start experimenting with different genres. 
Have you ever heard birds sing pop-punk music? 
I think you’d really be surprised at their range, 
I don’t know why they stick to classical and the blues so often. 

The swans at the lake near my house stop fighting 
half so often which is an amazing feat because swans 
are the strongest willed creatures that I’ve ever met. 
No love in the world, not even your enigmatic smile, 
is strong enough to keep them from fighting completely. 

Anyway, I’ve noticed all the doors I open do so eagerly, 
and without complaint, no more whining or creaking. 
Now that I’m really thinking about it I can’t 
remember the last time I stubbed my toe or if I did
I can’t remember the pain. Splinters are a thing of the past, 
my allergies haven’t come around anytime recently either.

 But the thing that really stands out to me when I fall 
in love is that I start seeing your face everywhere: 
you’re in the window of every coffeeshop downtown, 
you’re every person I stand next to on the train who smiles 
sympathetically when I lose my balance as the train 
leaves Boulevard station, you’re the murmuration 
of starlings that weave and carve their way through pink 
and orange sunsets above a silhouetted city. 

I’m not sure if that answers your question but it’s the closest
I can come to answering it without getting sentimental.