In another life
In another life, I’d love you better—
Not with these trembling hands that fumble for grace,
But with a heart that knows only faithfulness,
That holds you firm, like an unbroken promise.
Perhaps there, I would lift you higher,
My words like wings, lifting you toward skies
Where doubt is just a fleeting shadow
And fear melts like morning fog.
Maybe I'd be a man of answers then,
Quick to mend the cracks before they grow,
No stumbling through the fog of "maybe"
Or wrestling with the weight of "what if."
I’d be sure—so sure—of how to love you,
And you'd never have to second guess
If you are cherished, or if you are seen.
Perhaps in another world,
I would listen more and speak less,
Give you space to rise, to breathe,
Instead of filling the room with my restless fears.
There, you’d know how much you inspire me,
Not as someone who douses her own flame
To keep mine burning bright.
Perhaps then, you'd build your empire,
And I would stand beside you, not casting shadows
But basking in your light.
In that other life, perhaps I'd be perfect—
A love so pure and unwavering,
That you’d never have to question if you are growing enough.
In that life, we’d never doubt
If I could hold the weight of our love—
It would rest on me like a second skin,
Easy, familiar, worn with pride.
No hesitations, no second-guessing,
Only certainty in every breath I take beside you.
I’d speak to you more often in verses of peace,
Not the jagged edges of uncertainty.
We’d dance peacefully through every storm, hand in hand,
And the rain would feel like grace,
Washing away the doubts we carry here.
But here, in this life, I am flawed.
I pull the curtain tight,
Hoping you won’t see the imposter I feel inside—
The one who clings, terrified,
To the love I don’t know if I deserve.
I wonder if you see the cracks in my armor,
The ways I falter when I should be your strength.
The ways I shatter under the pressure of bearing ambitions and expectation.
And yet—
In the quiet corners of this life,
I hold on to hope like a flicker,
A flame I could learn to nurture,
Maybe in time, I’ll learn to be that man,
Not in another life, but this one.
Maybe, just maybe, I can be enough
Maybe I can grow into the love you deserve,
Not perfect, but present,
Not flawless, but faithful,
In this life we have,
Not another,
Here and now.
