Thursday, Aug. 29, 2002 | 12:30 p.m.

everyone says oh sweetheart you're so ready. i think they must be wrong.

but you, you're consistent. stable. safe for me.

and this is what i want you to know. but this is what i'll never say.

you are my wish come true. wrap your arm around me as i slide in next to you. hold me so close that it's hard to find where one body ends and the other begins. i'll watch the night's shadows dance across your face. tell me about the stars, about the pictures they form and why they captivate you so. watch a smile come over my face as your fingers begin to play some unheard masterpiece on the small of my back. take a deep breath to inhale the moment, then exhale slowly as if to preserve its beauty for as long as possible. and each time you gently press your lips against my forehead, that's when i'll know that i want you and nothing else matters. you give me peace. you make me happy. and these things will never go unnoticed.