Withholding

Withholding a smile in public
Poker face, your solemn eyes
Betraying nothing
For no one needs to know
The things we do
Together
To each other
For each other
There's no shame in those brief encounters
All too brief
The hum we make
Sighs
Taking comfort from the sweet ache
When you acknowledge me
Moments alone
When you teach me
Restraint amidst private joy
So I hold on to that feeling
So, yes, I make no demands in this affair of ours
Your secret is safe in these hands
Withhold away, the very essence
For that's alright with me

Withholding, a playlist

A soundtrack for this affair (spotify version)

• Everything I Miss at Home by Cherrelle
• Secret Lovers by Atlantic Starr
• Alright by D'Angelo
• Lucky by Cherrelle
• Private Joy by Prince
• Crazy (For Loving You) by Cherrelle
  I've long thought that Cherrelle's affair best caught the magic of Jam and Lewis.

File under: love, secrecy, observation, perception, obsession, control, relationships, poetry, toli

Writing log: January 17, 2023