a soft grazing on my cheek

i swat it away

but it returns

persistent

i open my eyes

squint as they adjust to the light

not a fly but rather

your fingertips on my cheek

i smile up at you

my head on your chest

a leaf falls from above us

as the breeze starts to slow

white patches on my skin

from the sunscreen

you poorly applied

but i don’t mind a few burns

so long as we stay

like this a while longer

you start to pull grass

from the earth by my hip

randomly i assume

but you know there’s a method

i shut my eyes

content

i trust you to wake me

if there’s danger

you tell me about your week

how you hate your boss

and school’s getting hard

i’d tell you about mine too

but everything seems trivial

with my skin absorbing the light

the hours pass by

and the sun’s almost faded

you say we should go

i grumble

and complain

but eventually regain

my physical form

a rush of blood to my head

as i try to stand up

you steady me

your hand around my waist

maybe i would stop

taking iron supplements

if you would catch me

each time i felt a little dizzy

but just as we’re leaving

your hand in mine

i look back at the ground we lay on

tears welling in my eyes

the grass you pulled wasn’t random

you’re a poet after all

in the very matter of the earth

was a heart with our names

you’ve written me

your sonnets before

but this is more physical

for more people to see

you’re shy

i know, my dear

so this is a declaration

of immense courage

red crawls up your cheeks

from embarrassment?

or sun?

but, oh, how sweet you are

our love immortalised in the dirt

inevitably covered by time

but the remnants will lie deep beneath

like the bones in our grave with

your hand in mine.