entwined

we lay here entwined

i watch you sleep

and for the first time i see you

vulnerable

in need of love

i reflect on our conversations

how you said men have treated you

your step-father with his belt

your ex-fiancé with his physical temper

and i wonder as my eyes wander to your wall

where there hangs a huge street sign that reads “stop”

if there isn’t more to its presence than design

 

***