Hardwood Floors and the Change of Seasons

Do you remember the gentle parts of you?
The ones underneath those metal plates.
Do you remember when you swore that all you needed was a gentle hand?
That you would instantly melt the moment someone welcomed you
without strings
to sit down and show them who you are?
Or perhaps
offered you scissors
to reach up
and cut the strings
that others pull
because they have been making your wrists ache
and your heart hurt

for years.


Do you remember the jingle of your laughter at your own jokes?

Your sweater
and that thin mattress
on the floor
and the shifting darkness
of that room

as the sun went down.


It isn't the dark that scares you

it's the softness