there’s a girl who inspires me,
and her smile ignites me like a fuse.
if only i would let my heart speak
with the voice it longs to use,
maybe i could find the courage
to expose this subtle fire,
instead of pacing through my own head,
tripping over broken wires.

*
(an acknowledgement to the unnamed muse, as well as to the Jason Isbell tune that made the rhythm seem to work and the Whitman line that keeps getting stuck in my head.)