Inch by inch - for Alex

Inch by inch

Skin, hair, tenderness—

my love is touching you.

You are no longer

an imaginary happiness,

now you are my permanent bliss,

the open air where I lose to win.

You say, count to ten and find me,

and I start looking for you.

I ask, are you there,

and you come out of your hideout laughing,

with yourself  in the background,

wrapped in a new scent,

a different nakedness.