Your Grasp was Restricting
I ended the decade
with a bruise of your hand
on my upper arm
and it is now
in this new quarter of my life
I realize your grasp was restricting,
draining energy from me
to fuel you
causing a pain so blinding
I could not see your red flags,
and it is now I know
affection is not black and blue
hidden under long sleeves
as mementos of moments,
it is the letters and calls
you never reciprocated
-POE(MS)