Sincerely,

by F.S. Yousaf

HESITATE I refuse to store All my joy in you. For if you ever leave, I would not know what to do.

DEPTH I did not just fall in love With your beauty, I fell in love with every single Aspect of you. And I pray that everybody else Can see what I see in you.

WHERE THE HEART IS I have jumped from house to house My whole life. Stability, for me, has been nearly nonexistent, But I have hope That you could be my home For as long as I live.

ANTICIPATION Keep on talking about how lovely Our future will be. As every word escapes your mouth, Glimpses of hope Appear in my heart.

WHAT IS YOURS IS MINE I did not enter your life To hold you back from your goals— To make you feel miniscule. I crave success for you, Even more so than for myself.

CONFIDANT I stared into your eyes, Got lost in what you are, And found myself unable to focus elsewhere....

AWAIT I always counted down the days Until I saw you again. These moments with you Were the only times I felt like my true self.

LETTERS TO One of my many goals in life Is to give you the type of love That I had always desired.

AMAZE There is something so sweet About the way your voice sounds Early in the morning. It reminds me of a time When I believed that happiness Was unreachable. But I am here, Astonished by the way You make me feel.

RENEWAL I was told That the feelings would die down. But here I am, Excited for every new day I get to spend with you.

NEWFOUND LOVE The laughs we share are new, But the bond we share is old, Reminiscing almost-forgotten moments. And while we were lost for some time, Perhaps wandering through the endless corridors, And mistakenly taking wrong turns, I am glad we have found one another again.

LOVE You became the occupant of my mind, The beat of my heart, And the tranquility in my soul. You became my life, My solace, The best person I ever knew.

OUR STORY While I sit here In the midst of the night, Writing away to you, I think of every single little Memory that makes us whole. The good, and even the bad....

HOLD ON JUST A LITTLE LONGER Search for me in my silence And search for me When my rambunctious nature Takes over the calm and peace. Search for me, For I do not search for myself. Aid in finding me For I may never find myself on my own. — I will find my own voice soon

ASSISTANCE I ask myself constantly: What if there is no cure for this ache, This pain that resides in me? And although you cannot fix the ache You are there to help me through the journey So I do not wander this dark path alone.

OUTREACH You bring me happiness, But you are not the cure For my sadness. That I must find On my own.

BUOYANT There is a deep fog in my mind, One which surrounds me every day As I take aimless steps towards escaping. Even when I think of you The fog does not dissipate. My body remains the same: Trapped in a boundless cloud. But what the thought of you does Is give me some sense of direction— A purpose for me to keep pushing forward And never give up. No matter the days that have passed Or how many steps I may have to retrace. For who knows, Perhaps one day I may be able to see the sky again.

FORTITUDE Your heart has so much room for love That I sit here, In complete wonder At how it could possibly be so. You have seen And felt terrible emotions— Some which made you feel Minuscule and beneath the ground. I am here for you Through the storms and the calm. I am here for you Through the anger And the peace. I am here for you Through the frustration, And tranquility. You do not deserve most Of the fires that come your way, Yet you handle them gracefully. As if you have lived with them Lifetimes over. It pains me how little I can do, But I hope the sincere amount I give Brings you a degree of happiness.

DEFINING LOVE Your soft lips tease me As I am lying in bed, Watching you dream up storms. The first time I spoke to you, I did not know that we would be here, Falling for one another The way we have. Many moons have set, And many suns have risen. I ask myself why, Through all my chaotic emotions, You have been constant. It’s not that I fell for you, Or planned for this story; It all happened in a whirlwind. Even past our first words shared, You found comfort within me As I did with you. Comfort within a person. That’s what our love is.

HAVEN We carve our initials on trees, Hoping for others to see— To be a reminder of How our love has grown. Wild, untamable, And thick like the trunk Of the old tree. A reminder that our love Is a shelter for us, Providing shade For whatever weather may come our way.

COMPROMISE When you crumble, I hurt with you. But I do not stand idly by. I will extend my hands And catch every piece As you fall. I will be by your side as you Rebuild, and help you In the process. You are half of me, A purer, gentler half. I am not whole when you Are not whole yourself.

ACKNOWLEDGE I would be a fool to compare Your presence to that Of a candle burning valiantly in a dark room, Acting as a guide as some would say. For you would eventually burn out, Leaving me alone with no sense of direction. You are closer to a star On an unpolluted night, Your light making its way to me No matter the distance. And even though you are Hidden at times, Knowing you are always there Brings me a sense of relief.