I was going through life asleep. My body had no more feeling than a drowned corpse. My very existence, my life in the world, seemed like a hallucination. A strong wind would make me think my body was about to be blown to the end of the earth, to some land I had never seen or heard of, where my mind and body would separate forever. ‘Hold tight,’ I would tell myself, but there was nothing for me to hold on to.

I.

I promise to treat you the way that no one else could. I will prove to you why your past relationships ended.

II.

I promise to hold you in my arms and in my heart until my body collapses.

III.

I promise to touch every part of your body; and for the places my fingers can’t reach, my words will.

IV.

In the middle of the night when your body is shaking from the sadness that’s pulsing through your veins, I promise to kiss your forehead and hold you tight in my arms until you can finally breathe again.

V.

I promise to make the sting of life hurt a little less. I will try my hardest to protect you, always.

VI.

If the time comes where I have to let you go, I promise I will do it with grace and dignity. However, that does not mean my heart will shatter any less or the earthquake that hits my chest will be any less severe.

VII.

I promise that there won’t be a day where I don’t wake up and think of you.

VIII.

I promise to love you everyday until my heart stops beating, and maybe even then.