It's a familiar burn

Callused skin is numb

I keep touching it

expecting a different outcome

And is it me or them?

Who to blame

I can only give what I concieve

This thing they call love

I know no other

Beneath the bruises and scars

My fingertips still reach out to touch

What I give, I give fully

And perhaps that is my folly

I'll sever the skin left bare to feel

No exposure, no more