by Paige Bowser
“I love you.”
These three words
are not what define love.
Love is shown
in the spaces between words—
in touch, in time, in patience.
I never needed to say it,
because when I’m with you,
I feel it radiating in the air between us.
So, I won’t say I love you.
I’ll hold your hand instead,
and whisper,
“You are my forever home.”
Paige Bowser is a poet whose work explores love, loss, and self-discovery through quiet, intimate free verse. Her poems focus on tenderness, emotional restraint, and the spaces where feeling lingers unspoken. To Love You Gently is her debut poetry collection.