Under the Sake Tree…

Head on your shoulder
Exhaustion in my heart
Silence spilled from my lips
As I sat besides you under the sake tree

Just 18 years old
In a place I had never been
In a space that was unfamiliar
A broken heart on the mend
From the one who said he loved me, then sailed across the sea
And the one who kissed me on the golf course
Lifting me from loneliness
Then, drove away
Leaving me to face judgment, alone

Then there you were
Your eyes told me you cared deeply
Yet you never took anything from me
You built me up
From all the broken pieces
And, never crossed the line

Because of you
I learned I could be loved and not abandoned.
It was beautiful, and confusing, and exactly what I needed

And as you moved on
I told you “if you’re not married by 30, marry me”
It was my all of my heart
It was more than a simple “I love you too”

Always and forever
Katie
Under the sake tree