Into arms and out
back into
never knowing how
to not be held

Always believing
I am a women
meant to be kept

For so long fearing
nights alone
as though quiet and comfort
was somehow more terrifying
than loud fights and
broken glass

Into arms and out
back into

but what if
the cycle broke?
what if
I was no longer afraid
to sleep soundly
without another

and what if I was?
What if I was terrified
of what it means
to live alone
and did so anyways?

Who could I become
when I am myself
untied to another

alone, but not lonely?