Tattoos
Squinted eyes and downturned mouths,
they’re utterly unsure of how to reconcile her
trying to divine the reason behind her tattoos.
You barely come up to my shoulders,
and when you wear my favorite sweater
the ink that you’ve bathed in hardly shows
Of course they don't know how to place you.
I love to trace the oxbows of her sly serpent,
the one that snakes between her chest and across her neck
she loves it when I whisper for it to tighten.
Words like snow fall from your tender lips,
your step lighter than the fleet-footed hare’s on your hips
but when you move the muscles that sift beneath are stone
Of course they can't understand you.
I love to nudge the panther that paints her stomach,
chase it as it leaps from rib to rib to rib
she loves it when its claws delve deeper.
You clench your fists when I stroke the tiger,
since you never felt someone lead it with touch alone
you shiver when I stalk it up each vertebra of your spine
Of course they failed you.