Low Light photo of woman lying naked on side

A Love Affair, From A to Z: “W” – When He Calls

The following is the next segment of "A Love Affair, From A to Z."
To start at the beginning of the poem, click here.
A LOVE AFFAIR, FROM A TO Z
by
Jade A. Waters

When he calls her to tell her,
She thinks it’s a mistake,
That surely, after all they’ve been through
All he’s said, this can’t truly be.
She’d built armor around her heart for a lifetime,
But for him, she stripped it away,
For him, with his generous love
His perfect kiss
His repeated promise that she could let go
She did,
And now she is drowning,
Slipping deeper into an ocean
Of murky waters
Flowing too fast into her windpipe,
Choking her as he cries and explains himself,
As he insists he loves her, but
He doesn't know what to do.
She is sinking,
Her heart frozen in time
A statue in the middle of a gloomy and cold winter landscape
That’s been sneaking in around them
So slowly, they didn’t notice
The frost dampening the air
For a long time now.
She thinks this as she hits the bottom,
Their love the burden carrying her
Down, down, down,
A body shifting with the current
Among silent tufts of algae
As the world at the surface of this ocean goes on
Without her.

To read "X" — X's Mean Everything, click here.
Young couple man cupping her cheek with light over her face about to kiss

A Love Affair, From A to Z: “V” – Vastness

The following is the next segment of "A Love Affair, From A to Z."
To start at the beginning of the poem, click here.
A LOVE AFFAIR, FROM A TO Z
by
Jade A. Waters

Vastness stretches between them
A distance somehow growing larger
With every step they take.
It’s not for lack of love
But for the infinite problems
They are rapidly going to need to face.
She tells him how much she worries now,
Speaks it aloud as they cuddle in her bed,
And her once strong voice sounds meek to her
A breathy, sorrowful thing:
“What if we can’t, my love, what if we won’t, what if…?”
He kisses her cheek before
Lifting up her chin,
Staring at her with love that reaches inside her soul,
Willing her to hear him when
He tells her, “All this worrying is a
Waste of a beautiful mind.”
The words soothe her heart to a calmer, more joyous rhythm,
But when he says again that they’re going to be okay,
She knows there is no certainty in life,
This is becoming more and more clear,
And these words he says are just words,
Things that she treasures
But that he sometimes promises without
Knowing if he actually can.

To read "W" — When He Calls, click here.
Silhouette of couple holding each other in front of window.

A Love Affair, From A to Z: “R” – Reality

The following is the next segment of "A Love Affair, From A to Z."
To start at the beginning of the poem, click here.
A LOVE AFFAIR, FROM A TO Z
by
Jade A. Waters

Reality is settling in
Like a cancer
Winding its way deep,
Seeping into her bones
In a ferocious cold spell to
Threaten an end she isn't ready for.
Over coffee, he tells her
“All the best things are bittersweet”—
Beautiful, wonderful memories that make him feel
Something, anything
But that always carry a twinge of pain.
She doesn’t think so.
She thinks good, beautiful things are worth the effort
If everyone can just be on the same page.
She sips her coffee beside him,
Listening to him speak while he tenderly strokes her thigh,
And she imagines the two of them old, together like this
Talking philosophy and love
Until the end.
She realizes then more fully than she has before
That their love is a beacon,
The sparkling star in her life,
And she’d do anything to keep it bright.

To read "S" — She Believes, click here.
Sexy couple during foreplay, woman with head tilted back.

A Love Affair, From A to Z: “Q” – Quivering

The following is the next segment of "A Love Affair, From A to Z."
To start at the beginning of the poem, click here.
A LOVE AFFAIR, FROM A TO Z
by
Jade A. Waters

Quivering, she is quaking
Caught up in the depth of what she feels for him,
In how he can make her entire existence shift
Into a whole new feeling she clutches tight in her grasp.
It’s the dance they’ve settled into,
Shamelessly forgetting every complication
Every catch,
And yet aware of it like a siren
Off in the distance
Warning them so much pain is ahead.
But she loves him
Good god how she loves him,
Such a powerful gift, her love,
Which she knows he can feel when he comes to her,
When he cocoons her in his arms and kisses her
Like she can make everything okay.
She is his escape
And the two of them talk and whisper,
Settling into their familiar hold,
Their bodies coming together
As quickly and easily as their
Foolish and blind
Open hearts.

To read "R" — Reality, click here.
B/W shadowed image of couple close on the bed looking out the window

A Love Affair, From A to Z: “P” – Perfect

The following is the next segment of "A Love Affair, From A to Z."
To start at the beginning of the poem, click here.
A LOVE AFFAIR, FROM A TO Z
by
Jade A. Waters

Perfect is the day he celebrates with her
Both of them silent over the abyss looming ahead
Instead tangled up,
Kissing, fucking, smiling,
Laughing, laughing, oh, how they can laugh together.
He toasts her for her win
Spoils her with affectionate kisses and cheers
And after another round that leaves them panting,
His naked skin on hers is the best prize of all,
His fingers laced with hers the one thing she truly wants.
But he offers dinner
Her favorite dinner
And she’s soaring all over again.
He says he does it because she appreciates it, which she does
Following him through the store,
Nearly skipping as he talks about
Sauces, seasonings, and specialty ingredients
And it battles the ache that’s started to weigh down her heart.
When they return, she kisses the back of his neck and says,
“I love when you cook for me.”
He abandons the groceries covering the counters for a moment,
Showering her in love while she continues,
“I want it often. All the time.”
He kisses her cheek and thumbs her chin
To make her heart pick up speed, because it blossoms
At his new, perfect promise:
“Then you shall have it.”

To read "Q" — Quivering, click here.
Romantic couple embracing, touching and kissing with passion on a ledge dressed up and in b/w

A Love Affair, From A to Z: “O” – Out They Go

The following is the next segment of "A Love Affair, From A to Z."
To start at the beginning of the poem, click here.
A LOVE AFFAIR, FROM A TO Z
by
Jade A. Waters

Out they go, a night to escape
Playing on the town
Like their lives, they
Depend on every second of this evening.
They laugh over dinner,
Drive with the stereo loud,
The moon roof open as they
Point at the stars
Like old times
Before he grabs her hand and takes her dancing,
Both of them close, giggling
Grinding
And intoxicated,
Running from the problem,
The catch in what they share,
Spinning around and around on the dance floor
With hands creeping along each other’s sides.
“I love you so much,” she says.
“And I love you, too.”
He means it, this she knows
And she will dance here with him
Pressed tight
Tighter
As close as they can be
For as long as it takes to forget
For now.

To read "P" — Perfect, click here.
B/w image of passionate couple making love in bed

A Love Affair, From A to Z: “N” – Need

The following is the next segment of "A Love Affair, From A to Z."
To start at the beginning of the poem, click here.
A LOVE AFFAIR, FROM A TO Z
by
Jade A. Waters

Need is filling her up—
The need to be with him, to go there,
To grasp this
In the way they both whisper about
But can’t quite reach;
Not as it is.
It stirs up a longing in her so heavy
She is anxious about the end, the complications
Whether it’s going to work.
He sees this and strokes her neck, cuddles her closer
Gently blows in her ear.
“Why are you such a pessimist?”
She's never been that, never in her life
And when she meets his eyes, he nods.
“You are. With us, you are.”
She doesn’t want to be,
She wants it to be everything
This love between them,
But she can't quite figure out how to fit the pieces of
This puzzle
Together.
When he distracts her with kisses trailed up the side of her neck
He says, “Do this with me. Be here with me.”
So she decides to listen, to feel him,
To get further lost in this forest
Despite its looming density.

To read "O" — Out They Go, click here.
Athletic man kissing and embracing beautiful woman in the shower

A Love Affair, From A to Z: “I” – I Miss You

The following is the next segment of "A Love Affair, From A to Z."
To start at the beginning of the poem, click here.
A LOVE AFFAIR, FROM A TO Z
by
Jade A. Waters

I miss you, she writes him
Because the space has been too much,
But these words can't encompass
The depth of what she really means.
So when he comes to her, she kisses him,
Each kiss a taste to accompany her explanation.
“When I say ‘I miss you,’ I mean
I miss your voice, your laugh
Your eyes, heart, and love,
Your touch.” She whispers now,
Kissing his fingertips, then guiding them over her breast
With a smile.
“Your touch is irresistible,
Like your kisses...”
The words are lost when his mouth meets hers,
His hands parting the sides of her robe
Letting it slip away to the kitchen floor.
She wears barely anything for him,
Lacy things to be admired and discarded,
Which is how it happens, and what she likes.
His eyes rake over her as he says,
“I missed you too. And I love this,”
Before they begin their dance once more.

To read "J" — Just Let Go, click here.
Young couple embracing on a white background of a sunset

A Love Affair, From A to Z: “H” – Her Heart

The following is the next segment of "A Love Affair, From A to Z."
To start at the beginning of the poem, click here.
A LOVE AFFAIR, FROM A TO Z
by
Jade A. Waters

Her heart is alive
Full like it's never been before
And though she's known love many times
It's never been like this—
Rich and decadent, with a touch of bittersweet,
Warming her up until she's bursting with joy
Floating to see him, at the memories they're painting between them,
Lovelier than any images she's ever been part of before.
She catches herself singing in the laundry room and laughs—
She's been tattered and broken, rooted up from the earth and ruined,
Her heart ground up into little bits in the past—
And yet with him she is free to soar, free to love, protected, safe
And so fucking happy she glides through the days,
Celebrating this love, his love, and
How glorious it feels that they've come together
After all this yearning and wondering.
She can't picture a future without him in it,
And when she tells him this, he scoops her up, kisses her lips, and says
“Good, because I need you in my life, too.”

To read "I" — I Miss You, click here.
Man and woman half clothed with woman smiling on top of man

A Love Affair, From A to Z: “F” – Fucking

The following is the next segment of "A Love Affair, From A to Z."
To start at the beginning of the poem, click here.
A LOVE AFFAIR, FROM A TO Z
by
Jade A. Waters

Fucking
Is nearly their forte—second only to how well they talk—
But it was awkward at first; two friends who knew every secret, every tragedy
Being careful with one another for all the stories they'd heard along the way.
They bumbled until they had it right
And quickly it became a magic, glowing, exciting thing, with
Rounds that made them laugh.
They knock over chairs,
Break furniture,
Ruin clothes, and
Roll about with moans of pleasure
And peals of laughter so loud
She wonders if the neighbors will hear.
"Come on. Do you care?" he asks
"No, no I don't." She covers him in kisses,
Loving the way he holds onto her hips so tight,
Guiding her above him and smiling
Because he knows she's close, so close.
But he is, too. "Race you," he says,
She giggles before their breaths grow heavy and their lips meet,
Sweaty bodies clinging while
They lose themselves in the sweetest pleasure all over again.

To read "G" — Good, click here.