I don’t have to touch

to know how you feel––

through my words,

through stolen glances and shared meals

still, I touch you somehow.

for touch is only a tool,

no hands, no lips, no skin on skin

words run deeper than any touch could give

still, I touch you somehow.

I don’t have to touch

to know the deepest parts of you,

to memorize your sighs, your cries, your laughs.

And though I remain

without the use of my hands,

still, I touch you somehow.