He tells me not to love

he tells me not to love too fiercely
afraid of shattering 
fragile glass

as the moon swells, i ask it to shimmer 
on him
hoping it might numb his pain 
igniting love once again

he warns against sitting too close
fearful of falling in love's embrace,
yet i yearn for him to be enchanted
by me
so that the space between us 
fills with our breath 

when he speaks,
he avoids my eyes
afraid of seeing himself within their 
depths
he dreads loving me 
and i,
i fear falling for him

not  enough 

he asks me not to graze him
so tenderly
as if my touch might create 
an addiction
i've never wished for that but,
i long for him to be dependent 
on me

each night the moon climbs the sky
witnessing my desolate nights
i ask him to love me like the moon
loves me
to be by my side 
grace my darkest hours,

but he insists i don't read my poetry 
to him
as if it might chain him forever 
to my words
yet my poetry craves him,
it’s not poetry without him

i wish he understood that 
and when the moon hides
my lover vanishes with it,
leaving me in solitude

i wonder,
how do broken hearts fall in love
oh, i wish i knew
how do you love enough?