arm of an ocean

you were like the dry shore
after i was showered
with his iris island

when it kept pouring,
like the sun, you dried me,
embraced me with your warmth

& when i thought it'd
never stop flooding
(you let me in & told me

i was beautiful)
something he used to do
and now i'm scared

cause the butterflies run
rampant in my stomach
twisting, turning like

a car on a freeway
(you were like breathing)
like that first deep breath

after the summer's rain
i said i wouldn't love again
(but here i am, falling faster

than you can catch me)
drowning in the ocean
running towards emotions

everything I ran away
from; you're everything
I think i've feared

cause it's like the start
of spring; buds forming
at the seams of trees

& i tried to stop growing
(tried to stop raining, but
every time I thought of him

the sun stopped coming out)
& i needed the warmth of
an embrace; to be on a shore

but you took me in your arms
and told me i was beautiful