Love Is

the scars on your knees
the leftover food in the refrigerator
the song the birds sing
the pain you inflict
the sweet nothingness which flutters from your lover's mouth
a half-complete cigarette
diet coke which fizzles on your tongue
the rainbow sprinkles on your cupcake
the battered package you received in the mail the other day
the sound of wind escaping through a small gap in your window
the dampness in your hair
the chipped red varnish on your fingernails
your grandmother's musical box
the ballet shoes you've had since you were five
the music playing on your car stereo
the flaky paint on your walls
the bubblegum stuck under desks
the tooth-fairy
your hands and the things you can make with them
the kisses you blow
the clothes you wear
5 am morning breath
your sensitive teeth
the tingly feeling you get when you get touched at certain parts of your body
the tangles in your lover's hair
sleepless nights
overdosing on painkillers
undeserved success and recognition
telling lies and not getting caught
blacking out from consuming too much alcohol
being desired by multiple parties
solving a mathematical problem
watching the people around you
screaming out of your window in the middle of the night
flaming your lover's ex
make-up sex
smudged mascara
disheveled hair and smeared lipstick
the coffee and bagel you have on a daily basis
little children
silence
recyclable materials
trees
photosynthesis
growth
development

No. Love is
you
I
a careless mixture of everything else we worry about