Between the First and the Second

Between the First and the Second

"I love you"
when given the first time,
during anytime,
between two people,
at any stage,
whether it being the ultimate first,
or the first of a moment of initial thought
after been exchanged a million times over,
is the only honest utterance of the moment,
from that first speaker.

What comes next is almost nothing,
a ditto,
a mimic,
a repeat,
a response elicited from the Second.

They have not felt this moment
unlike the First,
or they would have said it first,
noticed the serene nature of it.

Or maybe the First reminded the Second of the beauty,
or maybe the First emotionally unbound the other?

The First wants to know if this moment is real,
if what the Second says is true
and not just something said in reform.

This is where I broke the First's heart,
and where I rebuilt it.

-Matthew Koutzun