Your Hugs

today I learned
I had never been hugged before

not the kind that melt you
like succulent chocolate
that fills your mouth
and sends tingles down your spine

or when the sun kisses
the last frost
and tickles the ground
for the first time in months

today I learned
I had never felt love's welcome

not the way that God
touches the sky
with blankets of color
before she sleeps

or the way a hot
towel snuggles
you after a cool
swim in the spring lake

today I learned
what it feels like
to be the bud that opens
herself completely to the warmth

what it feels like
for the pine tree
to have the weight of winter
melted from her body

today I learned to let go
and let care's passion
touch my soul when I stepped
in to your tender embrace

today,
I learned