Afraid I’d once again repeat the same
mistakes, I told myself slow down — but you
weren’t exactly spared either, admitting
second thoughts and more over the phone.
Lovers’ handbook, rule number one: when in
doubt, seek eye contact, real and unscreened
lest we forget the once-upon-a-time
art of courtship (you can read about it).
The secret I have learned is not to snub
your nose at platitudes; for instance, won’t
three words — subject, verb, object — which begin
with me, lead/end with you, not make do for
the absolute? I’ll say these words — not once,
twice, but thrice: I love you. I love you. I love you.
Philip Miller has been previously published in The Rumen. Philip currently serves as Assistant Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Music Theory & Composition at the Ingesund School of Music, Karlstad University in Sweden. As a graduate student, Philip studied creative writing with David Wevill at the University of Texas, and has worked one-on-one in a professional workshop with Matthew Limpede, publisher of Carve Magazine.