i am my hands
and all that my gentle hands do
the words they write,
the wheels they steer,
the hands they hold
my palms are a story; i beg you to look deeper
see the cracks in my flesh, because those marks,
they belong to me
i want you to find your way through the dark
by touching only my fingertips

i am my feet
and all the miles they have traveled
the all too hot sand
and the all too cold water
i am bright red toenails
and sandal tanlines
use my footsteps as a guide,
step where I have stepped,
i will never lead you astray

i am my eyes
and all the beauty they witness
two doors to the soul,
creaking as they open,
letting the light shine through me
i belong to every single blink my eyes have fluttered
my own personal camera, they show me the way
please, get lost in my eyes
open my doors
do not be afraid of what’s on the other side

i want you to unwrap me,
unravel me,
understand me
you see, i am the overwhelming desire to be known
underneath what is on the outside,
underneath the layers that keep me together

my body is a home
let me shelter you with it
it is all i’ve ever known

I want to tell you
that I can do without you.
But I'd be lying.

if I’m too shy to tell you
my feelings,
you’ll know.
I’ll hide behind my thousands of masks
quietly laughing and telling you jokes
because I’m afraid
that if I tell you one small thing
my masks will fall off
and one thing will lead to everything.
I may be unexpressed but I have a lot of things
to think about.    
                    ~n.r.

It scares me everyday that you’ll forget me
Just like it scares me everyday that you might be with her
I think that hurts my heart most of all
The thought of someone else touching my favorite part of you
In my dreams you’ll always be mine
Because you’re one hell of a war
And I’m not done fighting
I don’t think I’ll ever be
Trust me when I say that you changed my life
And I’ll love you forever
And then some
And I’ll love you past mountains
and then some
And I’ll love you through years
And then some
(v.m)

i. calypso

in my soul I seek the
calypso
who hides me
from myself
to keep me for herself
against all odds
I seek her
daily
and thus am
lost
to myself

ii. stupa

but this odyssey
now
has other rules
        to lose
        that self of unremitting
        joylessness
        who professes no love
        for me
        who compensates
        with fantasies
        of love unrequited
        who keeps me yearning
        for a ghost in a glass pain
        who keeps me blinded and cold-pressed
        by her charms

iii. belltower

in the rugged terrain
of the soul stands
a belltower
a beacon of measured
tones
sounding for Love
with Love
in Love
of Love

a hermes bell
commanding me back to myself


c. 2017 Roberta Compton Rainwater