To the one

I will marry you one day. I will ritualise and celebrate my love, making clear to the universe that I have long-term romantic intentions for you.

On this day, I will pledge to try and bring you true joy, and to give you my attention, my nurture and my time, for the rest of my days.

But, my love, I will never belong to you.

Darling, whoever you are: Let our partnership be full of permissions. Let us hold each other’s hearts, but gently, so they might still breathe and grow. We’ll not bottle our feelings until they are trapped ships with sorry sails - we will teach each other freedom.

And I’m sorry to bring it up, dear one, but it is highly unlikely, under the laws of nature, that we will leave this Earth at the same time. So let us always belong to ourselves first and foremost. Then, when the time comes, when we are hit with waves of grief, we will not be washed away ourselves.

Forever not yours,

H