As you sleep...

...I am amazed at the beauty that rests before me.
Curled up as a child lying peacefully, ever so innocently.

I stare at the redness of your lips, which at times will lend a momentary smile.
I know somehow you know I am watching you all the while.

As I guard over you, I observe how your breathe rhythmically raises and lowers your chest.
I caress the tenderness of your cheek with my index finger, pretending to wipe away past tears having crossed its crest.

I softly brush your hair with the palm of my hand, hoping this will in some way make you feel the depth of my caring.
All the while I inhale the fragrance of each lock knowing that this is how it should be, our intimate sharing.

I hold your hand in mine, stroking the length of your arm to the curvature of your shoulders, over and down the small of your back.
I repeat this for what seems an eternity, never tiring, each time as if it were the first, each time following this precise track.

When I have burned your image into my mind, I whisper good night, kiss your forehead, then close my eyes.
Even then, in my dreams, its as if I am still watching your guise...

...As you sleep.

-Timothy Swearengin