Quietly, she said
(you don’t know
how beautiful
you are
I laughed,
because I was frightened.)
as she led me,
through a part of town,
I only knew
in name.
Quietly, she said
(and we sneaked,
passed her mother, and
a dog that
did
not care.)
as I told her
there was
n o w h e r e
I’d rather be.
Quietly, she said
(while washing my hair,
in a sink,
in a restaurant,
I did not eat at.)
and I said,
“they call this a
whore bath”
and
she just smiled.
Quietly, she said
(I’ll be here,
always,
should you need me.)
and my tongue
weighed heavy, so
I just kept nodding.