The Echo of Almost

I hold your shadow, not your hand, A love unlit, like grains of sand. Your laugh, a song that never fades, But still my heart, it keeps its shade. I ever loved you without the flame, A quiet ache I couldn’t name. No burning fire, no hearts confined, Just an echo soft within my mind. Your words, a velvet, fleeting breeze, They drift through nights, they bend my knees. Not love, not lust, not something claimed, Just a tethered thread without the chain. And maybe love is not the name, For what we dance, this tender game. It’s not a loss, but not complete, A pang that fades, but still repeats. I ever loved you without the flame, A quiet ache I couldn’t name. No burning fire, no hearts confined, Just an echo soft within my mind. So I'll keep this almost, light and rare, A nameless bond we softly share.