I will stand still for you
Arms spread
Naked before you
I will let you look at all of me
All at once
For everything I am
For everything I am not
I will let you come to me
From wherever you are
With whatever speed your inhibitions allow
Walk to me
Crawl towards me
Close your eyes if you must
Flail your arms blindly until your fists find my skin
And if you find me not to your liking keep on swinging
If you are not strong enough to effect change grab a sledge hammer
Grab a knife
Grab a memory
Keep swinging
Keep swinging until I am a broken husk of a man I can not recognize
If that makes me the man you can love
I am not attached to this form of me
I am not beholden to the treasured memory of a childhood I can't forget
I am not holding out hope that these muscles, these bones, this skin, or the 19 little hairs on my left ring finger are strong enough to commit to the weight of your heart
It's amazing how heavy "I love you" can feel
And how willing I am to shoulder that burden
Bring the mirrors
Bring the smoke
Turn me
Fold me
Twist me
Until I am as you want me
Until I am strong enough
I want to carry "I love you"
With a finger
Until it loses circulation, turns purple, and falls to the floor
The lightness of loneliness is becoming tiresome.