Amo-te

AMO-TE is the portuguese word for I LOVE YOU.
Many portuguese believe it’s easier to say I LOVE YOU rather than AMO-TE and they’re right.
AMO-TE is much stronger and heavier.
Like a punch in the heart. It could never be used
as it’s in English or French: "I would love to
go to New York", "J’aime beaucoup les crêpes".
It is much too powerful.
Maybe that’s why it’s so beautiful.
And then the written word. I love every letter
in it and the way they link together. M between
A and O. The balance of TE. The horizontal
line broken by the ascending T.
And the spoken word... It’s beautiful when you
say "amo-te", and then you don’t say anything
else, because you can’t. And I love its sound.
And the sound of the rest of the silence.