I will love you a little bit at a time
so that each time you feel even a little bit loved by me
you will know it like a gift you didn't expect
and you'll try to hide that you are a little bit embarrassed.
I like to think that I am a smart person
which makes it is easy for me to invent things
such as reasons to dislike myself
and for others to spite me.
So I will try to make you happy with love
to content myself in knowing
that someone else has benefitted from straining efforts
that only hurt myself.
Sometimes I'll slip
and I'll love you too heavy
because love will catch you off guard
in a way that is swift and elegant.
When I slip
you will not be embarrassed by a tiny gift
instead we will share the weight
and the strain will scare both of us.
That will make us afraid
but not as afraid as when I forget to show that I love you
even a little bit
and we'll both wonder what could have happened.
Every time you feel loved
we'll wonder if it's permanent or just for the day
or the week or year
because nobody knows.
And most of all we will wonder
how many bits of love there will be
before they begin to trickle
and seem gone.
Then we will not see them for a while
nor know where they will appear again
so I will have to love you a little bit at a time
so that there will always be some to make us happy.