to the crab nebula and back

By: Anonymous

I vividly remember
the rough feel of my closet’s carpeting beneath my fingers
as they traced lines and circles and stars
like the ones that filled the sky that night.

My other hand clutched my dying phone to my ear,
connecting us only by our voices in a call that lasted hours.
Though we had only known each other for weeks,
we danced around those words for what felt like decades.

The butterflies in my chest screamed,
and pounded,
and roared,
as you finally blurted out

I love you.