O fragile body,
temple of soft skin and wildfire spirit,
how many times have you been unwrapped
by hands that mistook possession for love?
O heart that loved too deeply,
you were taught that love
meant giving,
and giving,
and giving
until you were nothing but an echo
in someone else’s mouth.
If only this world could show me a little more mercy—
not bind me in ribbons of silence,
not cradle me in ...