I.                   The Boy

You will taste blood in your mouth when you kiss him.

He will never say ‘I love you’ like it’s not a secret.

He will shout his oath and his broken promises to a blazing sky.

Try not to cry when the reporters ask you for his name.

His knuckles will be bruised and he’ll swallow gun power until he ignites.

You don’t give a fuck about the cause.

You only care about a boy whose cracked lips utter freedom against beating hearts.

When you hug him you feel his ribs. They are your cage.

Do not fall in love with this boy.

He will ask you to burn with him and you’ll gladly agree.

II.         The Girl

She speaks softly but every syllable is laced with truth so potent it’ll kill you in a heartbeat.

When you cup her cheek, you can feel the shape of her rigid jaw like stone against flint.

She has always been strong but her spine has cracked so many times that her beliefs come with a limp.

She smiles to one side and when she kisses you, you can feel the scars she places on your lips.

You won’t die for her. She’ll die before you.

You’ll walk to her grave with shaking hands and place a flower on her home.

You’ll never look her mother in the eye again.

You’ll never feel the softness of her hair on your aching shoulders.

She is power and force and no star in this universe will forget her.

They wouldn’t dare.

She will be the last person you ever love.

Say her name every night.

It will be the only prayer you still believe in.

III.     The Advice

Dear friends,

Young friends,

Do not love boys in red coats with constellations on the napes of their necks.

Do not fall in love with girls in combat boots with steady jaws.

This is a temporary love that will ruin you permanently.

They will love nothing but the bright lights of flash grenades.

They will believe in nothing but the blood in their veins.

They possess a rage while you possess light.

Do not fall in love with the revolution.

It brings nothing but pain and more revolution.

I know you’ll love them.

Oh, how you’ll love them.

You’ll take down empires for that smile.

You’ll burn the kingdoms of gods to nothing but unworthy ashes.

Oh how you’ll love them.

And I apologize for that in advance.