I Never Forget to Mention There Are Tenderness Requirements

Well…how gentle can you be?

...

My question arrests momentum

usual progression from this to that

separates thoughts that coalesce into compounds

with potential to change state

from where we are

to “Where are we going with this…with us?”

An open border

this off-limits part of me allowed access by you.

A fertile ground

never ploughed never bound

but can register a trust-reserve breach in seconds

because I own vulnerabilities

now poised

beneath you

sharpened steel

my eyes a plea

of every external validation you will offer

that survival rates are high

to surety without certainty

and guarantees on a gamble

of feather-light touches over my indwelling traumatic fears

and self-imposed affliction screaming to drown out all it hears.

Questions that need answerings

of how careful you’d handle delicate dreams unseeded

unrelenting curiosity and darkest desires unheeded.

I could not be more serious about sensitivity

and drawers full of tee-shirt slogans

citing unintentional lacerations and bruises

for emotions scraped to bleeding

mind abandoned mid-freefall

body constricted with circulation impaired.

Exponential recovery time and preventative measures

means restricted access nowadays

In-depth sensory screening for self-restraint

softness

inclusive sweetness as standard

and often sad

but not swayed

by realities reached

if I have to say

...

So long.

***

(To access this poem in audio on SoundCloud click here.)

Many thanks for reading my personal shout-out poem to all the sensitive ones. With everything going on in the world, I appreciate that we are still here.

Your support helps to fuel my passion for writing. You are welcome to heart/comment/subscribe/tip/give shout-outs/share on social media with author credit, and/or ko-fi me if you'd like because it truly warms my heart.

(Originally published in The Power of Poetry on Medium)