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Writer's pictureAnna Claire Hodge

In Other Words, I Love You

Updated: Nov 14, 2023

In Rome, we were drawn to red wine,

the tannins tart in our mouths, surrounded

by all that newness in a city so ancient.

Your hands leapt to circle a pickpocket’s wrist,

so quick to keep us safe & whole.


When you roll the sleeves of a dress shirt,

I’m transported to the passenger seat

of your Civic where we ran errands —

that ordinary stuff of life. These days,

we watch Lewis Hamilton circle the track

just as we orbited each other, moving closer

& closer until friendship bled to passion.


You allow me my interests — I craft nearby

as your mouse clicks. Onscreen, Katya falls

into a death drop & we are unshakeable,

we are home, surrounded by the cats

that remind us of Klaus the lion—

all sweetness. No snarl, no bite.


In Rothenburg, cobblestones led us

to schneeballen —crumbs in our palms,

our hands clasped as we walked

the city’s wall. Aren’t we so protected?

This partnership is a fortress against

all enemies, all danger.


We know that love isn’t perfection. It’s a ring

ignored on the Eiffel Tower. It’s hibachi

& chicken nuggets, the silly songs you belt.

That day in March, rain poured in the dry air

of Arizona as we promised to weather

any storm, to fly each other to the moon.

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