I could still feel
His fingertips
Tracing my jaw
When I woke up.
I remember the way
The pads of his fingertips
Seemed to heat my skin
With every touch.
My collar bones were
Flint and he was igniting me.

I remember thinking
“How could one person
Tear me open and
Rip at the seams
Of my soul so
Efficiently?”
If I think about it now,
I can hear him
Whispering over and over again
“Baby I love you.
I’m so sorry I hit you.”

He held my face
Dangerously close to his.
I remember looking at his hands
Out of my peripheral vision
Pressed to my cheeks.
And even though they weren’t
Slapping my face
Or grabbing my collarbones,
The feeling of these
God-made weapons burned holes
In my porcelain face.

I remember thinking that
If he kept touching me,
My entire body
Would crumble to ash.

I remember looking at him
With tears in my eyes,
Pleading with him to
Leave me alone.
Why couldn’t he just leave me alone?
{a.r.}