A Not So Slip Of The Tongue

I could say
You are very pretty
I might have even ventured to use the word beautiful
But I'd rather not scare you off
so for now its just

Sixth grade language
and teenager demeanor
Elementary notions
The infinite schemer
my Old timer's wisdom
In a box at the foot of my bed
I got plenty of time to Speak my mind
before I am dead
I could sit and watch for a million years
Before I understood my greatest fears
I could hold my mistakes in the palm of my hands
Let them trickle through my fingers
Like tiny grains of sand
And still not know

I am sitting in front of you
with nothing but the best of intentions
I'm wearing it all on my sleeve
And it hurts
Not to mention
I'm whispering
The greatest words
Like silk strings in the air
Midnight with starlight sprinkles
An audacious affair
Silence waits with your response
With anxious intoxication
If I told you
You were beautiful...

I sit here with patience