i want to walk through a garden with you
and point out all my favourite flowers
i want to gift you with violets and dandelions and tiger lilies
tied in a bouquet with a silky indigo ribbon
i want to shower you in my affection
in the blossoming of our love
because flowers grow for us in minutes
sprouting between our lips
and in our coupled laughter
i am not a botanist but that much i know
but a sugar maple takes roughly forty years to grow
to reach maturity
and i want evergreen trees to grow for us
because i’ve become accustomed to the snow
and now to you
you have never shown me blizzards or ice
simply warmth and sunny summer days
filled with tulips and orange trees

but i want more
is that too much to ask?
i want a garden to thrive year-round
to plant saplings with you
visit them every year
and measure the rings intricately carved into the stump
(that is, if they ever fall down)
and most importantly
i want the leaves to be evergreen
come sun or sleet
or our canadian snowstorms
yes, i want to be that madly in love with you-
to feel this forever
(even if our leaves do fall off)

i want to walk in a garden and see you
amongst the life-
so alive, so alive
and so in love