“Forms of Love” by Kim Addonizio

On By Christina's WordsIn Poetry

I love you but I’m married.
I love you but I wish you had more hair.
I love you more.
I love you more like a friend.
I love your friends more than you.
I love how when we go into a mall and classical muzak is playing,
you can always name the composer.
I love you, but one or both of us is/are fictional.
I love you but “I” am an unstable signifier.
I love you saying, “I understand the semiotics of that” when I said, “I
had a little personal business to take care of.”
I love you as long as you love me back.
I love you in spite of the restraining order.
I love you from the coma you put me in.
I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone, except for this one
guy.
I love you when you’re not getting drunk and stupid.
I love how you get me.
I love your pain, it’s so competitive.
I love how emotionally unavailable you are.
I love you like I’m a strange backyard and you’re running from the
cops, looking for a place to stash your gun.
I love your hair.
I love you but I’m just not that into you.
I love you secretly.
I love how you make me feel like I’m a monastery in the desert.
I love how you defined grace as the little turn the blood in the
syringe takes when you’re shooting heroin, after you pull back
the plunger slightly to make sure you hit the vein.
I love your mother, she’s the opposite of mine.
I love you and feel a powerful spiritual connection to you, even
though we’ve never met.
I love your tacos! I love your stick deodorant!
I love it when you tie me up with ropes using the knots you
learned in Boy Scouts, and when you do the stoned Dennis
Hopper rap from Apocalypse Now!
I love your extravagant double takes!
I love your mother, even though I’m nearly her age!
I love everything about you except your hair.
If it weren’t for that I know I could really, really love you.

“Forms of Love” by Kim Addonizio, from Lucifer at the Starlite. © W.W. Norton & Company, 2009.

5 thoughts on ““Forms of Love” by Kim Addonizio”

  2. “I love how you defined grace as the little turn the blood in the
    syringe takes when you’re shooting heroin, after you pull back
    the plunger slightly to make sure you hit the vein.”

    So. Vivid. So. Good.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hey you! Strange, I just ran across your name on HuffPo as I was clicking around after reading rupi’s interview. Ooooh I know a famous writer. 😀
      I’m on hiatus from RoS for now, but I’m still reading your blog via Feedly. Think of you often…Spring is almost here!
      Oh and I just added “This is our Science” to a running playlist on Spotify (are you on there? I’m starrrling, w 3 r’s). xo

      Like

      1. Oh crazy!

        I think of you often, too. Excited for the increased light we’ve been getting lately.

        I’m so glad “This is Our Science” made your running mix. I listened to the track “Dimitri Mendeleev” on repeat for an entire 5K awhile back. So good.

        I’m not on Spotify, but I probably should be. I’ll let you know if that changes.

        xoxo

        Like

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