i will kiss her hands
the hands that write intricate poetry on paper
or draw excellent artwork on a tablet
the same hands that held instruments to scar herself in defiance of her life
are the hands that type out "i love you" each day
for some reason she presses bruises so hard into her skin
that her fingerprint is engraved in her flesh
like a criminal record
her hands build up cities before tearing them apart
she is a goddess to be feared
i need her to know that it's okay.

i will trace her scars
as cliché as it sounds
she needs to realize that i love every part of her
and every part of her is beautiful
just because she doesn't get reminded enough
doesn't mean she should feel ashamed
they're just battle scars
and the war is almost over.

i will hold her.
because we both need a shoulder to cry on
but she doesn't have the same love at home
her feelings can't stay bottled up
i know how bad it is when no one listens
how it feels when you don't want to disturb the air around you
but if you shake soda it will explode
and humans are more volatile than C4
i will do everything to stop the fire from spreading

i will not kiss her goodbye
because for some reason she believes i should move on
get her over with
that she shouldn't have become one of my bad endings like so many before
as if she did me wrong.
she did herself wrong
because i've never felt more awake when i sleep
i've never been so happy to have feelings

for god's sake i will tell her i love her
so maybe she will too.