I vow to stay close to what is real

I will speak plainly, love without performance, and hold your name with care

I will meet your fear without turning away, listen before I answer, and learn your silences as well as your words

I will bring no storm where peace can live, offer steadiness instead of spectacle, and keep my hands open, not clenched

I will choose honesty when ease feels simpler, remembering that love is built, not declared
It lives in ordinary hours, in morning light, in tired evenings, in the small work of staying

There is still a little Oklahoma in me; dust, distance, stubborn sky, open grounds of memory and hard won feeling

I bring it here without pretense, so I can meet you fully and love you well