before first touch
You stood—
close enough
for the air to change.
Cool at first—
not for long
A softness moved through the mist,
settling lightly
against your skin,
raising something there
you hadn’t asked for.
goosebumps—
one,
then too many
to follow
the valley
learning you
The river held its pace,
slow, deliberate —
as if it knew
what warmth does
when it meets cold.
You didn’t move.
Not when the air
grew closer.
Not when the quiet
found your breath.
There was a glow —
not in the light,
but just beneath your skin,
spreading
where the mist
had touched first.
You stayed
just past
the moment
you would have left
Long enough
for something in you
to begin—
matching
the water’s pull
If these words have meant something to you,
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It helps support the writing,
and gives you access to a set of pieces
that live just inside.
I’m always open to thoughtful writing collaborations.
Other prose and poems from me.
Nothing truly leaves — it just changes how it stays.
If something moved in you — a silence that whispered — I’d love to hear it below, or in my DM’s.
All artwork courtesy of NDjin Gallery















Thank you for sharing @ChristYan Gerald!
Thank you for sharing @Firefly in the Forest 💛