when you think you've left

by shira

when i'm a bird
and you're the storm
leading me leaving home
i wash sea salt off my arms
to make myself rougher
to smooth down blocks that keep me from talking

i've loved louder things
than sirens or bells
and you're quieter than most
until i've gotten into your head
and the colors never stop
until they reach the core
where my head meets your chest
and your heart meets my mind

i'm sorry if i'm too much
it's nothing i can return to birth
like fingerprints or learned words
that all mean i have loved you
and all come naturally

i know why i'm shaking
underneath warmth
it's because i'm home
though i thought i had left