There will be times
When your touch is not enough
To wrestle the demons out of me
Times when your hands
Loving in their intention
Will feel foreign
Will feel too similar
To every pair that has hurt me in the past
Will bare resemblance
To every one that has been laid on me
Will remind me of every bad memory I had planned on forgetting
So many times before
There will be times
When your touch is too much
And the amount of affection
Will be far too warranted
For what I feel deserve
Will feel overwhelming
Will feel blanket on heatwave blood
Feel like more than my worth
Worth more time than what I merit
There will be times
When you will have to practice holding me
Rehearse me into routine
Remind me that safety lives in your arms
In your gentle grip
In your palms resting backbone
Calming shoulders speaking comfort
I am still learning to be still
Still learning to not flinch
At a man's touch
But my skin craves to be loved
Almost as much as my heart does
And trust
Is something I am just starting to give out
So in regards to me
And the way you approach my body
Please proceed
With caution.