between bark and water

I came to know you,
between bark and moss -
in the rawness of a place that breathes -
where the world is stripped to bone,
where the air smells of rain
and old scars don’t itch

I knew you before we met -

in those dear abodes
where nudity doesn't embarrass
and breathlessness isn’t deadly

what I needed, remained;
all else, fell away

and now we have met -
no hesitation, no shame -
like light meeting what it touches
and never once
apologising for wanting to stay

my ripples no longer kiss the shore alone -

birthed from bark and moss,
we now exist between love and water

--

Ben Pickard 2026