on bodies, specifically ours

we’re here now,
you and i,
an ally, i can only assume
in full bloom
beneath these sheets

from the mean streets,
my smirk and silver tongue bely
how nakedly i lie with you
in far more than just skin

i shaved my tits for this,
you know,
against the grain
for décolletage a touch more
pleasant to kiss
but also know that i care not
if stubbled cleavage graze your lips
because that is what you signed up for
the moment we set ourselves in parallel

you could stare,
oh, you could stare at my face
and my angular curves and my
absences and abundances
to work out the puzzle that
matches the box in your head that
contains all your
sexual preferences

or, you could relish
the joys of a body
that’s fully embraced as a playground,
a lab, an ever-changing work of art
where the signature is
just beneath the bandaid on
this thigh

the real secret
(are you ready? lean closer)
is that for the first time in my life
this body is my own, owned truly
and these walls are being painted
and these renovations made
because i just moved in, and
decided it’s finally time to invest

and when that dress
or vest
or costume hits the floor
in that moment my smirk
which is normally so firm
is held in place
by the smallest piece of mounting tape

so if when we lock eyes
the skies that they reflect suggest
fear and hope and desire all at once
it’s just the vulnerability
of a teenager inviting you to listen
to their new favorite band

and we all know how people get
when they’re going through puberty