Sometimes

love pulls tight

sometimes

like a dress a size too small

the kind you wear for vanity

though you can't sit down or breathe

and don't dare eat

love rubs raw

sometimes

like the itchy wool you suffer

because you like the colour

and it covers the raised red rash

that was once your skin

love leaves spaces

sometimes

like the ragged holes in a favourite scarf

threads pulled loose by restless fingers

unravelled by time

love wears smooth

sometimes

like a well-worn sweater

the kind you know is out of fashion

and doesn't even fit anymore

but you can't throw it away

because you know it so well

and because you remember

the day you bought it

the thrill of bringing it home

looking in a mirror

believing it was yours

instantly forgetting

how much it cost

and sometimes

just sometimes

love is the dress you know you look good in

the one that didn't look quite right

on the hanger

in the shop

and when someone suggested you try it on

you said really?

me?

and then you pulled it to you

felt it gather around you

looked in the mirror and saw

how beautiful you always were