Treasures Poem by Andrew Herrera

I sat up sleepless the night of our first time,
admiring the smooth pastures of your body.
You slept soundly with the sheet sitting right
at the small of your back. I listened and
memorized the rhythm of your breathing,
the grumble of your snore, and the sound
of your dreaming. I thought of how good
you were to me—the way you’d shut your
eyes tightly when you hugged me, as if taking
it all in—to never forget, but when you’d kiss
me, those green eyes were wide open. I thought
about the promise you’d made me just days
before this night. It’ll always be you and me—
you said—I love you. And when you said
those three words I felt the magic in your eyes
and the warmth of your words that seemed to
flow out of you like water from a fountain.
I thought of how lucky I was to have a love like
you—a love that not everyone gets to
experience in their life. It was a love that not
many people knew about. We were a well kept
secret, hidden in my sock drawer, buried
like treasure sunken in the Mediterranean—
treasures of my soul and treasures of my
heart. And you gave me your heart, once, to
put in my drawer—remember? — but I gave
it back. No physical object could ever match
the feelings you gave me when you held me,
told me you loved me, or even when you’d
just look at me and smile. I never wanted to
lose that feeling and that’s why, then, as you
laid asleep beside me, I took that moment to look
at you and smile, knowing that you were all mine.