Paper Lanterns on the Window

I drew a circle on the fogged-up glass

Your name inside it, written slow to last

Streetlights drip like honey down the lane

And every step is quieter than rain

I’m learning how to breathe without a reason

Let the hours fall like folded paper seasons

If you come back, I won’t ask you to stay

I’ll just make room for what you couldn’t say

Stay a little, even if it’s only in my mind

Like a paper lantern burning soft behind my eyes

I don’t need forever, I just need tonight

To feel you in the silence, to hold the gentle light

The café closes, chairs are turned around

Our laughter hides in corners of the sound

I keep a sweater that still smells like June

A small, sweet ache that hums an easy tune

If love is a hallway, I’m walking it slow

Touching the walls where the old echoes glow

And when the morning comes, I’ll let you go

But not the warmth you left in my shadow