jon's eyes

jon is my lover.  we have lived together for over 20 years.
sometimes when i look in his eyes, i am startled by
the intensity that i see there.  jon is a complicated
guy.  he's smart.  he knows a lot of stuff and he
understands a lot of things.
sometimes when i look in his eyes, there is
this kind of pulsing little fire i see there.  calm,
quiet, strong, restful, but there's this fire
that burns and glows and hungers
and worries me.  and sometimes i'm
just on the verge of wanting to say to him
that i see how involved it is in there, how
complex the whole business is in there,
how full of thoughts and dreams
and emotions he is.
but i don't say it, i just go on talking, listening to
what he answers back, looking in his eyes,
then away, then back again,
i feel eager and
humble and
dumb.

--Carl Miller Daniels (This poem appeared in my book Riot Act (Chiron Review Press, 2010). It also appeared in Nerve Cowboy, Issue #16, 2003. And it appeared in Lummox, Volume 1, 2012.)