How I Have Poem by Sarah Elizabeth Clark

It is thrilling to love someone so much that the world stops turning and spins faster all at once and colors are brighter and everything that ever happened suddenly becomes interesting or relevant.

That is how I have loved.

It is intoxicating to want someone so much that every moment you're near them feels like four shots of spirits and you can't go five minutes without touching them or five seconds without wanting to.

That is how I have wanted.

It is dangerous to hope so much that you convince yourself of lies to make it all okay, just for a chance to be wrong about the things you already know, just to stop being alone.

That is how I have hoped.

It is heartbreaking to miss someone so much that food stops tasting, music stops playing, sleep begets nightmares and you are alone in your regrets.

That is how I have missed.

It is poison to hate someone so much that your veins burn and your insight is obscured by the memories that have been tainted, to want punishment and revenge simultaneously.

That is how I have hated.

It is impossible to forget someone, so much so, that it's like a tiny part of them has been left under your skin or tattooed somewhere to remind you that everyone else is like a synthetic copy of the real thing.

That is how I have forgotten.