Can I Be Beautiful In Your Eyes, Love? Poem by Toni Atchison

Can I be beautiful in your eyes, love?
Could I hold you close,
no matter where you are?
I'm trying to remember me before you.
But I don't think I was alive then -
not truly alive -
till I was set on fire inside,
and it warms me to think of you.
I crave your touch -
for the first time,
for the thousandth time.
So tell me true -
Can I be beautiful in your eyes, love?
Can I swim fearless and unashamed
in those twin pools of cool blue?
Can I press my chest to yours
and feel our hearts beat in time -
my imperfect one
and your wild sweet one,
echoing the beat of the other?
And oh, by the way,
just in case I forgot to ask -
Can I be beautiful in your eyes, love?

1-19-09