25 Things I Love About You – A Letter To My Girlfriend

1. Your smile

I’ll start off simple here. Your smile is the most wonderful smile in this world. No matter what you say, to me it’s true. Your smile is genuine and bright and beautiful and you light up the room, just as you light up my life. It’s your smile that I first picture when I close my eyes to imagine you. Like the sun, my mind centers from there and spreads out until I see all of you. Your smile is sunshine.

2. Your laugh

Paired off with you beautiful smile is your wonderful laugh. Loud and carefree and magical. Your laugh is like a drug to me, I could listen to it all day. Instantly, I feel a surge of high and energy when I hear you laugh. You laugh, and then I laugh, and then we laugh on and on and never stop. Your laugh is music.

3. Your eyes

Your full, dark, beautiful eyes. You have me under your spell, under your gaze I am melting. I can see passion, emotion, and love in those eyes. Your eyes, eyes that I know have seen so much in this lifetime. But still…so hopeful, willing to see the best parts in everyone. Willing to see the love. You have the most beautiful eyes in this world. And as I look into them I am lost into your essence and I am submitting because I trust you and I love you and I am melting under your gaze and I am awake. Your eyes are morning coffee.

4. Your voice

Your rich, melodic voice. The way you say my name. The way you say anything. I love listening to you go on and on about something. I have told you before that no matter how tired and stressed I am, as soon as I hear your voice I am at peace. I am lulled into comfort. The world fades away and you are there and you are speaking and it is all I can hear. Your voice is comfort.

5. Your kindness

Your never ending kindness and generosity. The way you choose to be kind to people. The way you treat people. The way you give so much, never asking for anything in return when you absolutely deserve all the good things. Your kindness is warmth.

6. Your thoughtfulness

The way you always think of other people. The way it matters to you how they might feel, what they might be going through. The way you think about what they might want and need. The way you care so much. I have learned to be thoughtful of people, from you. Your thoughtfulness is a helping hand.

7. Your purity

How pure and full of light you are. I know that you have been through so much, but at the end of the day, your essence, your soul, is so full of light. I see you. I see the sun that is bursting inside you, I see how you light up. The hope that you continue to have is not naive, but purity. Your purity is light.

8. Your Faith

Your unwavering belief and faith in our Lord. The way you center him in your life, the way your belief stands against temptations. I have never been overly religious but my faith in something greater than all of us has always been strong, and I can see it in you too love. The belief in things that are bigger than us, and a life led by service and kindness. Your Faith is a North Star.

9. Your inner-child

The inner child inside of you that I always get to see. The one that awes in wonder and delight at the magic of Christmas and great stories. The one that feels so deeply, that believes so greatly in magic. The one whose eyes never lose their light and whose heart never loses their faith. The one that sees Santa and smiles so wide. The one that believes in true love and forever and life ever lasting. You are so beautiful. I admire the inner child that is within you, and my heart is light and bright because of you. Your inner child is a believer.

10. Your passion

Your passion for many things. Your love for teaching, for music. I love how passionate you are about everything. How much things resonate with you, how much it matters to you. It’s one of the things I love most about you. You are so driven and passionate and I admire it so much about you. Your passion is fire.

11. Your love for your family

How much family matters to you. How much it means to you to give back to your family. How much you take care of them. How much you cherish them. How much you love them, even if you get into arguments. You love them so much and it is such a beautiful thing to see. I am excited for our own little family one day. Your love for your family creates a home.

12. Your love of food

Yes, your love of food is one of the biggest things I love about you. I love food and you love food, and just the thought of celebrating meals and snacks and food with you over our entire lifetime makes me so happy. I would gladly cook you meals and bring you whatever food cravings you have, if it means I get to sit there with you and watch you be so happy. Your love of food is so attractive.

13. Your inner traveler

The part of you that wants to explore the world just as much as I do. Your inner wanderer, that would be more than happy to drive with me for a day trip out of the city, just to have a relaxing day at the beach. Where we can watch the sunset together and breathe in the salty air of the sea. The inner traveler that wants to see every part of the world. The one that wants to live in Australia and visit New York as much as possible. The inner wanderer that I love. Your inner traveler is freedom.

14. Your skin

Your smooth beautiful skin. No matter what shade it is, either a dark tan from being under the sun, or a lighter tan from being indoors, your skin is gorgeous. You are gorgeous. Your skin is glowing and shiny and sensual and smooth and beautiful. I want to trace your skin with my fingers or my lips, and just breathe you in. Settle in the comfort of the softness if your skin. Your skin is soft.

15. Your love of music

I love how much you love music. I love how you love to sing and jam to songs. I love listening to songs with you, I want to sing with you over and over. I wanna drive with you and sing at the top of our lungs and just be crazy. I love how important music is in your life, just as it is in mine. I’m excited for all the music we’ll make together in harmony. I love you. Your love of music is energy.

16. Your clingy-ness

I love how clingy you can be because I’m clingy too. I love how clingy you get and how much you want to cuddle and be together. I feel that all the time. I want to be with you all the time. You are my favourite person in the world. Your clingy-ness is adorable and I love it.

17. Your love of dogs

I love our shared loved of dogs. I love that we get to have a dog together and we’ll take care of him/her. I can’t wait to have KB with you, and when we do, we’ll spoil him and walk him and train him and play with him and he’ll be our little baby. I can’t wait to have a dog with you. Your love of dogs is exciting.

18. Your love of neutral colors

Maybe it’s silly but I love how we both love the same kinds of colors or aesthetics, especially when it comes to our dream home. I love that we both like whites and blacks. It shows how simple we are as people. I love that about you. Your love of neutral colors shows your love of the simple things.

19. Your being hands on

I love how hands on you are, how involved you are in things. I love that we both want to be hands on when we have our own house, but I also have no doubt that you’ll be hands on with everything we do in life. I have no doubt that you being hands on makes you such an amazing wife, but I want to be as hands on as you. And I can’t wait for all the wonderful things we’ll achieve together. Your being hands on is strong.

20. Your dreams/goals

I love how forward thinking you are. I love how you have big dreams and goals for the both of us, while at the same time wanting just a simple life. I am so happy and excited to dream with you, to set goals with you. I know we can do so much together and I am excited for our entire lives together. Your dreamer self is something I love about you and I know we can make such great things someday. I love you so much. Your dreams/goals are inspiring.

21. Your humility

Your humility is probably one of the things I admire and love most about you. You are incredibly humble. You are so humble that you don’t accept my compliments often. But I want you to know that everything I tell you is straight from the heart. I am head over heels in love with you my love, and when I say that you are the most beautiful girl in this world, I mean it. You are the most beautiful girl in this world. In my eyes, no one can compare to you. You are gorgeous in every way and I am in love. And yet you are always so humble and grounded and that makes you even more beautiful. Your humility is grounding.

22. Your mind

Your beautiful mind. All the Weinstein thoughts that go on inside your head. And all the scary ones as well. I know how much you tend to think and overthink. I know that a lot goes on in your mind. But I want you to know that whatever those are, I will always listen and understand to the thoughts in your head. Your mind is beautiful and precious, and all the thoughts inside your head are wonderful experiences I can’t wait to be shown. Your mind is a garden.

23. Your soul

Your pure and beautiful soul. Your soul that intertwines with mine in an endless dance in the universe. Your bright and wonderful soul that is essentially light. You are my soulmate. And in every lifetime, I will love you. My soul is intertwined to yours, in all its beauty. Your soul is pure.

24.Your body

Your body, beautiful and sexy and perfect in every way. Your body which houses everything about you. Your body which I want to hold in my arms. Your body which I want to keep warm at night. Your body with all its curves and bumps, beautiful in every way. You are beautiful in every way. Your body is a temple.

25. Your heart (your love)

But out of all the things I love about you, it is your heart and your love that I love the most. Your heart, with all its battle scars and bruises. All the things that it has been through, remains strong and so capable of great love. The way you love me is beyond comprehension, and I am so in love with you. I promise you, that I will love with you with everything that I am and more. I swear to you, that as I hold your heart in my hands, I will cherish it and take care of it. I will give you love far more than I have ever given. I will give you my life, my body, my soul. I will give you a passage into everything that I am. And I will give you my heart, and trust you with it. And I will hold your heart and keep it safe, but most of all, keep it loved. I will love you throughout our lifetime, and all our lifetimes. Your love has made me want to be better and I swear to you that I will. I love you so much. Your love is everything.

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It’s your birthday today. Happy Birthday my love. And after all that, I hope you know, that I love you so much. And despite having listed down 25 things I love about you, there are far more than that. I love everything about you. Everything. The good and the bad. I love you for who you were, who you are, and who you will become. I want to spend the rest of my life growing to love you more and more, each day, for the rest of our lives.

Wide Awake

Hide these tired eyes
from sunlight
spending the night trying to learn how to say
goodbye
It has taken some practice
we didn’t think we were meant for this aching
tried not to imagine
how this would go
how we should go
how we needed to
leave
all of this behind
we didn’t stay up all night learning how to say goodbye
We were trying to stall time
and grab by the shoulders
saying “just wait
please”
I need to see
just once more
the roads to that horizon that we dared to follow
need to remember what lies beyond it
the stars
don’t need to shine too brightly
I need this to be like every other night
Unspectacular
but so full of promise
Don’t worry about the sky trail
I know my way back home

The hats we wear

I always wonder
about the hats that we wear on our heads
I’m curious to know
which ones are worn and crinkled
and which ones stay hanging on the rack most days
which ones we never wear at all
and which ones we hide
deep in our closet

Thank you is a word I use very often
I like to think that I live life with open hands
searching for the rain water
to wash away the blood from glass wounds
gratitude comes from a hand marred with experience
and mine are scarred

But sorry is a word I use most days too
reminiscent of the way I hide behind the shadows of my ideologies
I’m standing here
peering over the edge
My bravery is measured by how much of my saliva I can swallow
before it dries

And confidence is the word that remains unused
still unsure
if the hats I wear were meant for my head
or if I am worthy of any crown
I know that Pia believes the hands of destiny to be the one to coronate her
the value of my self-belief is correlated to the purpose I keep
most days it is tiring

And the pride in oneself is one I never wear
at least not where anyone can see
nights spent in front of the mirror
imagining
stuck in my head
the thought feels heavy
It is difficult to wear without feeling

the hat of guilt
the one that lingers there sometimes
like the smell of smoke even after the fire
a presence
perched on steady shoulders
to cause unsteady feet
I do not know what I am doing sometimes
and these roads are so dry and the sun is so hot

But I have a hat collection
and there are those I wear most days
those that stay on the wall
those that I never wear at all
and those hidden deep in my closet
I have worn them all
at one point or another
but I would much rather let destiny
choose my hats for me

Her

Look at her
Isn’t she beautiful?
I can think, with more than my ten fingers, how many think the same
How her irises are like mirrors; you look into them
and you see how beautiful the world seems in her eyes
how they shine so brightly
The way her hair frames her face
warm and elegant like her embrace
comforting
The way her lips purse so delicately
her kiss, as lingering as the water that meets the shore
glistening from the words she speaks so brilliantly
The way her curves seem almost molded by master sculptors
soft but clear and defined
How her mind is a wooden chest
and all the thoughts in her head are treasures
that for years have been kept
from the light of the sun
deemed almost
invaluable

And I can think, with just as many, of people that don’t feel the same way
that care not for the glitter in her eyes or the curtains of her hair
that think her lips do not glisten, and her words aren’t interesting
that her curves aren’t as smooth, and her mind isn’t precious
and they say this to her out loud
almost proud
that I have to wonder if they really thought that what they said mattered?

Boy, I tell you, your hate won’t make her break
Her eyes won’t suddenly shatter, she won’t lose her wonder
Her embrace won’t lose its warmth
she is prepared for the coldness of your winter
she’s already lit the fireplace
And don’t think her kiss will not be as magnetic
despite your massive ego, you don’t have enough gravity
She will not stop speaking, she will not stop writing
her words won’t untangle themselves to be the silence you try to make of her
Her curves weren’t made for your hands to hold on to
her softness isn’t there for your insecurities to sink into
And have care how you see the treasure that she keeps
the gold won’t rust to dust no matter how deep you’ve buried them

Boy, I tell you, there is no glass case big enough for all the woman that she is
and no platform tall enough to trick her into your false words of praise
Do not make a trophy of her
Do not think you can cage her
and do not think you can change her
Look at her
She is so beautiful
but your frost has fogged your eyes
and so you fail to recognize
that she is more than that

Empty Faith

Wasted words and wasted prayers
preachers on their knees, but murderers in their sleep
Laying bodies down to rest, as if passing some divine test
Rejoicing in the blood sacrificed for the Lord
They would say “a great flood is coming to wash away the dirt”
while their hands pulled down the lever on the dam
standing on top of pillars, no one gave a damn who got hurt
Forgiveness, they say, is the way of the divine
but confession now involves a gun and a body thrown aside
But no matter, this is holy, because for their sins they must atone
we forget that virtue doesn’t rely on good intentions alone
Watch them now as they preach their cause, they give medals of honor based on how much bodies you’ve tossed
They claim to cleanse this land of sin, protect the people’s lives
no matter if we preach the will of the Father, through a bullet and a knife

Set Sail

I am conflicted
With the reality that all of this is temporary
The rising and setting of the sun is a routine
but lately it’s been feeling like a countdown
and we are all waiting for the fireworks, for the hats in the air
for the flashes of cameras hastily trying to contain time
All waiting for the end

How nostalgic it is
to say things like “My last first day of school”
We are always beginning things and ending things, never knowing when they will happen
But occasionally you’ll know when you’ve begun the end
It halts me sometimes, and I have to take a breath
I realize in my head that the sands of time are slipping between my fingertips and there are things that I no longer hold the same way I used to
things I no longer see the way I used to
things that no longer feel the same
It saddens me sometimes
I ask myself how I could ever cope when present becomes past
and I walk a different shore, holding different sands
Where the ocean sways in a different way
How could I ever cope when the scenery’s changed?

But I realize too how beautifully contingent everything is
that everything is unnecessary in this life
and how the smallest change in step, the slightest shift in thought
how the meeting of eyes, and hands, and hearts
how the tiniest thing could have made everything different
But this is what we have
We sailed a ship and docked on these shores
and we have become different people
We almost never want to leave
But you can only walk this island so much before your feet shape the ground you walk on
and you’ve left all the marks you could leave behind
till all you have learned and become
needs to set sail again

So yes the times are changing
and seasons are passing by like sunrise and sunset
the days feel like a countdown
but despite how much I cling tightly to the sands of time
I know a time will come when I will have to leave and set sail
carrying nothing but the memories and an eagerness to look for new ones
And always remembering that the fruitfulness of journey, lies in the promise of returning
so that when I no longer have the strength to thread shaky waters, and when my feet long to feel the sands of home
I will come back
and dock my ship here once again

Horizon

How long has it been?
I’ve lost track of the days
Time is not something you can keep close
It is always horizon
Every now is instantly a back when
You have only just thought of touching the water before it becomes a thing of the past
and suddenly you are drowning

How time flies
it sings its lullabies to lull you into a loss of perception and then it darts away
How long have the days been? It’s never been here, just always there
and the moment you think it’s here, it’s already somewhere else
Don’t look over your shoulder now
and don’t look so far ahead
All you’ll see is horizon
but look down at the way the river rushes beneath your feet
at the way your socks soak with each moment that passes
Time is ever changing
and so are you

Paper and rain

There had been times when I felt like I was paper
And she was rain
There I was just soaking up as much of her as I can
never noticing how I was ripped into pieces

I loved the way she filled my senses
It might have been drowning but I called it catching a different air
so easy to confuse poison and perfume
I loved the scent of a rose filled with toxic thorns
How tempting it is to pick it up

I saw her even at night when my eyes were already closed
I called dreaming what was probably haunting
I let her slip through my walls and leave her presence
Let her spirit move with mine in a dance that was always a little bit one sided
I gave her my hand to hold and she gave me her wrist
and the dance looked more like tugging
I didn’t realize that she was always taking and I was always giving

I was paper and she was rain
and loving her only washed always the lines of my identity
and left me in one soggy mess

I’d rather love a girl that is fire
and be the reason she burns brighter
My bones are so cold now
I have spent too long in her presence

Brothers

Brothers that I see no more
I’m sorry that time and space has made our galaxies different
I’m sorry things are this way
I could have tried harder
Now we have grown into different shades of blue and green
but the colors still mix together
You are still my brothers and there are still things only you know about
I don’t worry too much because our universe is still the same
and our orbits will always find ways to cross
I will see you again beyond the sun

Brothers, the songs we used to sing still play in my mind
these days I can’t help but remember the way we sung to the tune of life’s adventures, to its successes and failures
The chairs and tables we hung around are empty now
but not forever
The beer left on the table is not unfinished but simply waiting to be refilled
and my throat simply waits to sing our songs once more
Brothers, I will see you again
this, I am sure of

Alcoholic

Here is a man whose religion is alcohol
He prays before every meal by raising his hand and asking for a glass of wine
and every night before he sleeps by chugging a beer from the fridge
He spends his days and nights in a church where all his fellowmen go to drink their problems away
Their bartender is the priest; he is their connection to their God
the alcohol for holy communion are lined up in a shelf behind him
and he accepts confession over the bar as men slur away their woes
Here is a man who entered into this religion via baptism by vodka
to him, no water is holier
He drinks his gin and tonic and says “this tastes like heaven”
and so he asks for two more
Men like this find salvation with each glass they bottom out
and each bottle empty on the countertop
He spends his days between drunk and tipsy
sober is a place where he does not see God
and so he does not go there anymore