The Blood & The Bones

she feels the most alluring

just before she’s touched

intact

undisturbed

but I say no

no because

unhindered perfection

never suited my mind or my body

it is better when handled

when dealt with

left in breathless disarray

mauled, battered, flushed

red handprints framing the arcuate sweep of my curves

painted with purple streaks within a gold rush

take, give, grab, release

the skin at the end

the story of the struggle

this is when I am the most of me

natural and beautiful

marred, defaced

undone

left with proof that shows

exactly

how I was loved

the blood

& the bones