silent saying

My body language
is a dead giveaway

you just need to learn the words.

I can be a little confusing
if you're not fluent.
The words for
"I could love you if I let my guard down"
and
"You repulse me"
are only syllables apart.
Click your tongue the wrong way
and you'd get it wrong...
like how Cinderella might have worn
squirrel fur slippers
I get lost in translation.

There is no Cara to English dictionary
though I've been told that
"Cara time" is 45 minutes behind
eastern standard
despite a shared geographic location.
"Cara logic" defies any law you can think of

even gravity
because I fly in my dreams.

and sometimes my stomach gets that
elevator starts too quick feeling
around you too.
I walk in my sleep and my
leg wakes me with a start
confused at why it doesn't
go anywhere.

But it's just you
holding me in the dark
and you might think that
my back to you is cold.
But it's just that my shoulders
are thicker than my ribs
and I want to put some
distance between

you

and my heart.

Same reason I hug you quick and
run away
Same reason I would rather write
you a poem than call
won't make eye contact in a crowded room...
I'm still working on that dictionary
so for now, let me translate-

If I didn't care what you thought
I'd bat my eyes without a blink.
I'd let my hips brush against you
as I pass.
I'd yawn just to see if I could catch you
looking my way.

Trust me baby, if I didn't want your
arms at my waist
I could put them there.
If I didn't want to kiss you
I could throw you against a wall.
If I didn't care, I could wrap
myself around you like a blanket.

But like I said, my ribs are thin
and my breastbone ain't much
thicker.
So I don't think it would take that
long for your heart to coax mine
out of hiding
and get them all tangled up like
the cat's cradles I could never figure out

And baby
you could do a whole lot
more than break it
if you pulled away first.