Loved From the Inside Out

No need to catch my eye
I can see you in my periphery
The outline of your shapes
Edges of your straights
Shadows of your curves
I don’t need to stare to see you

No need for sneaking, seeking glances
I can see from the corner of my eye
Those beads of sweat beginning to form
Temperature rising
I can hear your breathing
I could swear it was slower not long ago

No need to call my name
I can feel how close you’re standing
Warmth emanating
A half-step’s distance
From finding my arms
But they’ll find you first

Thoughts jumbled
Mind consumed 

Bear hug
Your arms pinned
My front pressed into yours
My hands are gripping tightly
Behind you
For now, you’re letting me win

You feel me, soft
Pushing you backwards
You play along, teased
Biding your time
I haven’t made you desperate
Yet

It doesn’t take long
You know when it’s time to move
Resisting now
You break free easily
Roles reverse
I let you take the lead 

I’m falling
But I’m not afraid

Your hands find my face
But they don’t stay there long
There’s so much of me
Even your hands
Are not so large
There’s a lot to cover

One down my back
Other finding soft handfuls
That want to spill from fingers
Barely contained
Your lips are whispering
I invite them to follow

In return
My hands caress
Learning more and more of you
Finding the places others never see
Teeth on your shoulder
They want to be everywhere

I want to be here and there
Everywhere at once 

Shame is a hurtful thorn
Need has plucked from my side
Maybe it’ll sting again another day
But for now
Tongues over curves
Keep it far away

Desperate for connection
We present ourselves
We melt into each other
The world around us is long gone
All that remains
Is the need

Surely this is it
We tell ourselves
We’ve found the answer
This must be the way
For how could two people
Possibly be closer than this 

The tides of our oceans collide
Then gently settle as they once were

When it’s all over
We’ll have conquered together
Both victorious
Content, happy
Loved from the inside out
We’ll tell ourselves 

Over
And over

We’ll tell ourselves again and again

Loved from the inside out

December 19, 2024