Te Amo, Alberto...

The Way You Say My Name

You say my name
Like it’s a secret only you’re allowed to know,
Like it was written on your tongue
Before you ever learned to speak.
The first time,
It landed lightly,
Like the breeze that lifts curtains just enough
To let the sun sneak in.

Now,
Every time you say it
Whether whisper or laugh, or groan
Into yes
Some say love is in grand gestures.
But I think it lives
In the way your voice wraps itself around me
When you’re half-asleep,
Or distracted,
Or smiling into my neck.

You say my name like it’s soft.
Like it’s worth saying slowly.
It tastes good in your mouth.
And every time,
My heart rises just a little higher in my chest
Answering as if it knows that it was always meant
To be called by you.