A Lion

I didn’t ask for you to touch me.

My body was once used to your rough hands and slender fingers,

But they don’t belong on my skin anymore.

Your aggression doesn’t fit my frame,

You aren’t permitted here.

Danger

Do Not Touch signs pass by, but you ignore them.

You ignore my persistent “stop, please” because you think it’s like old times

And I just like it a little rough

No doesn’t really mean no it means keep going

No wasn’t our safe word so it must not really be the sign to stop

But it was.

You were the tide and I was breaking, freeing myself, escaping

But you kept pulling me in with your hands and your words

“I’ll kill myself”

“I just love you so much”

“You’re all I have to live for”

“If you weren’t in my life I would die”

So I couldn't ever really leave, could I

Not really.

Not as far as I wanted to run.

You coerced me.

You manipulated me.

You made me feel sorry for you and guilty for breaking your heart- but you broke my trust long before that.

You lied to me.

Why couldn’t you accept my “no” as an answer? Because it wasn’t just to touch?

Because it was a denial of you? Did that make you angry?

You cannot touch me. I will do more than scream and whimper and cry.

I will fight you.

I will fight your touch with an aggression you have never seen from me before, because you never saw how strong I could really be. You wanted a gazelle, but honey now I’m a lion.

And you will not assault a lion.