Self-love Letter
I love the way you laugh
when nobody is looking.
I love your voice, that rich
and mellow timbre
as it searches
for the right note.
I love your voice,
that melodic,
handwritten style that,
at times, can be both
casual and profound.
I am proud of your creativity;
I know you work for it.
I am proud of you
for not giving up on so many things,
and I am proud of you for giving up
on just as many. I am proud of you
for reading so much this year.
I love your hands:
piano fingers with alternating
pink and starry blue nail polish;
I never thought I would see
painted nails on myself—
or pierced ears—or a tattoo.
God, I love your tattoo.
I love every star
in every constellation
on your back,
even if I seldom see them.
I love being you,
even when it is hard.
I love closing my eyes
with you, and having you
with me when I open
them again.
*
Kit Willett is a bisexual poet, English teacher, and executive editor of the Aotearoa poetry journal Tarot. His debut poetry collection, Dying of the Light, was published by Wipf and Stock imprint Resource Publications in 2022.
