Touched

face traces by fingertips of matching bloodlines on the day of our birth

lips gnawing on doughy bellies nostalgic of the kiss from conception

defenseless gums and soft skulls draped by lingering smells of the comfort of the womb

crawling forcibly, exhausted through pillowy snow of ignorance until meeting our heads with the hard wood floors at our first fall

protecting our hands, we shift to wear the weight of our world on our toes

running clumsily with arms up hoping to find something better above than what we find at our rocky bottom

reaching idealism and our mountaintops on the shoulders of our fathers

hiding with nightlights and down comforters from the monsters in our closets that are real

but learning to love the darkness from flashlights and friendly fingertip shadows under living room forts

through shared tears with our favorite authors under warm blankets of books on the cold tile floor

and the messy mascara stains on the pages of journals of who we once were, company in our old selves

or musicians melting our frozen hearts with the mutuality of their own drippy tears

needle pin fields and a red carpet spine with whispers of comforting vulnerability from anyone

after we learn where we are we are shaped by anything that makes us feel less alone