Tattoos

Squinted eyes and downturned mouths,

they’re utterly unsure of how to reconcile her

trying to divine the reason behind her tattoos.

You barely come up to my shoulders,

and when you wear my favorite sweater

the ink that you’ve bathed in hardly shows

Of course they don't know how to place you.

I love to trace the oxbows of her sly serpent,

the one that snakes between her chest and across her neck

she loves it when I whisper for it to tighten.

Words like snow fall from your tender lips,

your step lighter than the fleet-footed hare’s on your hips

but when you move the muscles that sift beneath are stone

Of course they can't understand you.

I love to nudge the panther that paints her stomach,

chase it as it leaps from rib to rib to rib

she loves it when its claws delve deeper.

You clench your fists when I stroke the tiger,

since you never felt someone lead it with touch alone

you shiver when I stalk it up each vertebra of your spine

Of course they failed you.