You look at me with your eyes in knots, your
Hair combed straight and only your nostrils
Wild, and ask, “are you a fool?”
In this world,
Elizabeth, how can I not be?

We eat pizza for breakfast and cereal
In the middle of the day because why the hell not?
We run outside and shout because
The wind asks us to and it feels good.
We are fools.

We get drunk on happiness, tumble
Over the couch in the living room, hugging
And giggling like schoolchildren and saving
The mess for later.
We are fools.

We thrust our naked
Hearts out the door to be
Pierced, trampled, wounded, and maybe
Snatched up and healed.
We are fools.

We gather our hopes, aspirations, dreams,
Wishes, fears on the edge of a silver
Coin and flip it, letting
Chance dictate our fates.
We are fools.

And you sit quiet with your
Heart in a shoebox in the closet
Sipping warm water because
You refuse to be a fool and yet you,
Elizabeth, are the greatest
Fool of all.