Ari Florkey has been writing for years, drawing inspiration from their background in art and theater. They work with themes and archetypes found in stories and use them to process their own experiences. They're excited to be stepping out there to show another side of themselves.
In the Quiet Spaces
by Ari Florkey
Love, for me, did not come in like
Fireworks arcing through the dark
Grand declarations piercing through the night
Like some gallant hero come to save me from the dragon
It did not come with gold or diamonds or roses
Nor did it come in sweet like cotton candy
[and that doesn’t mean it didn’t try]
The love that lasted
The love I held
Came in the quiet moments in between
Love came in styrofoam cups and split sodas
With mended pillow cases and rosemary tea
It came with scars and bug bites
And hands that held inhalers steady when mine could not
Love came in and called me “dummy”
As it grabbed the other corner
And helped me carry boxes across campus
Wrapped my knee, and made sure I drank some water
Never announcing itself by name but with quiet acts
Love never pretended it needed to save me
Or fix me or tell me I was broken
It was us knowing there was no dragon
No princess or prince
That we simply were all we were
And that didn’t make us any less amazing
The love that stayed came between the breaths
And left it’s fingerprints in every corner of my life
It was in the quiet spaces
That love came and stayed