Conversations

Find me, fine fellow,
send me your warmth
or whatever it is you carry
behind you.

It is nothing but my arms,
I carry nothing behind me.
Too heavy are the palms that hang
below my waist.
I am numb of the warmth
you ask of me.

My desire lies in your confusion,
I ask for nothing but your arm
around me.
Your hands hold secrets, I wish
for its knowledge, do tell.

My arms? You wish for the touch?
The caress from my fingertips
demands too much access, it will reveal
your vulnerabilities.
I know what makes you cringe:
five rain drops mixing
with the waves of your back.
You will shiver from the thought, and shiver in the experience.

Take caution where I lay.
I am not a beach,
I do shake
as only your index makes its way
down, forming the arch of my back.
It caught me by surprise.
I do shiver, though still manage a giggle.

You are uncomfortable.
You jump from the touch.

I also smile from it. I giggled.
Doesn’t that count?

I’m just not sure of myself. I’m grounded by the thought
of what I did, what I do.
If you only knew the harm I’ve done with these arms;
my palms hold scars.
How far would we go if you’d only know
of the past in these hands?
What I’ve lifted, what I’ve thrown.
I ask that you plan for the worst,
brace me as the man in front of the mirror,
not as the reflection.

Then let’s break the mirror that holds you
live in the now, in our now.
For one to live in their decisions,
one must accept their flaws and realize life goes on.
It’s not the end. One thing will not shape a lifetime.
I don’t care what they say,
it did not take a day to build an empire.
You better pray I don’t get up from this spot,

Goddamn it, put your arm around me!

- Vanessa Rios and Aldin Enriquez