You & I, Rewritten

by Chip Pons

“Grief never ends, but it changes. It is a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign or weakness nor a lack of faith, it is the price of love.”

“Because the way you looked at me…” His voice cracks. “I never, ever want to make you look at me like that again. I don’t think I could handle it.”

But…no, it’s just that with him, it feels like exhaling. That’s the only way I can describe it. Like I’ve been holding this breath my entire life,” I point to my heart. “And then this man comes along, and he sees me for who I am, and for the first time in my life, I can just be.”

I hope you know that your life…the one that you built and made for yourself…is yours to live as you see fit. You get to be the adult that you want to be.”

“But loving you and knowing you love me back has fundamentally changed me. It’s like being seen for the first time ever. Like I am free of the man I thought I needed to be and I finally get to be who I’ve always wanted to be—happy, spontaneous and so hopelessly in love with the man of my dreams.”

“And if I have any say in the matter, I hope to be worthy of every second of your always.”