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SilverArts Literary Arts is a part of Davie County Senior Games, and the winner in the poetry category was Stephanie Dean. MJ Maguire was second, and Julie Cartner placed third.

Love Likes

By Stephanie Dean

I loved you like long hugs love the tightly entwined arms of two best friends wrapped around each another.

Like the way long friendships love enduring histories that have weathered storms along the way.

I loved you like touch loves caressing hands that soothe and speak without saying a word.

Like single expressions of appreciation love being heard following a thoughtful deed.

I loved you like a hot shower loves the feel of warm skin when running down an aching back.

Like the warm wool of blanket does love the cold skin of neck when snugly wrapped around.

I loved you like a rumpled bed does love peaceful slumber when made with fresh sheets from a backyard clothesline. Like an old, faithful dog does love the cushioned lap

of its master on which it sleeps.

I loved you like well-fitting clothes love how one feels good and comfortable in their own skin.

Like worn-out shoes love the crooked and steep road on which the pair has traversed.

I loved you like early morning whistles love hot showers and any ears close enough to hear them.

Like rhythm does love the constant tapping of feet with every beat of a familiar tune.

I loved you like the keys on a piano do love soft sounds of pianissimo played on the keyboard.

Like a fiddle’s strings do love fingers plucking away while an old, bluegrass melody is heard.

I loved you like the earth’s dark soil loves dangling roots of spring’s bulb freshly planted. Like clear dewdrops of early morning dawn do that of a shiny green blade of fresh grass.

I loved you like songbirds in winter do a tree,

or a blanket of snow, the ground on which it falls. Like dark, dusky shadows love sunbeams of light, and a clear reflection does love mirrored glass.

I loved you like the canopy of a tree does love those who seek refuge in its shade. Like an airy breeze loves an old home’s open window through which it can gently blow.

So, I once loved you.