I wrote this poem on March 4, 2026 as I continue to read about and hear stories of intimate partner violence and abuse, and how so many individuals feel they must face life on a daily basis with fear for a full range of reasons – with no judgement on my part. The stories started with attraction and then were rewritten as relationships changed and became more real, evolving in such a manner that the fear of the future apart becomes greater than reality. And yet, there are possibilities from inner strength and the support of family and friends to move forward. May we each stand together in opposition to this scourge and make violence and abuse a thing of the past – one individual at a time.
Our hands first touched with a gentle shock
Fingers reaching out as our hearts they did knock
With wonder and hunger, our hands they did grasp
The hold instantaneous, as firmly there was a clasp
From the exploring graze of your fingertips on my face
I felt my body and heart as they did race
I wanted and needed to be held in your arms
I had melted forever in the face of your charms
Your kindly touch as you gazed tenderly at me
Made me put away fears and fall on my knees
Ready to do anything to keep you near by
As we walked slowly under both day and night sky
Then the day came where the touch it did change
Moving from simply caring to being quite strange
Not only the physical, your hold became a matter of control
I fought the feeling of fear but it was taking a toll
The next time you touched me, the fingers they did hurt
The anger was so vivid my body went on high alert
What had I done that would drive you to such a point
My entire body, mind and heart feeling no longer in joint
Then with a ‘I love you’ and promise to always be here
Your tenderly reached out and wiped away my tear
I would forgive you and not have to face a life all alone
I could not bear the thought of life again on my own
Over time you broke your word and caused me more pain
Yet each time I left, I was drawn back despite my brain
Our mutual attraction and your hold over my life
I was ready to surrender my future no matter the strife
Then it did happen when you broke my body and heart
I woke with acceptance of the unknown and need for a new start
Your hold and the attraction no longer with a magic touch
The graze of your fingertips that had come to hurt me so much
I stood at the window looking out into the rain
Unsettled and worried as if stepping off a moving train
Yet with contentment and strength I wiped away the tear
The last one you would bring to my eyes caused by my fear
Your touch I will miss from my tender moments with you
Yet I’ve no longer desire to have your fingers as if a glue
Moving forward I’m free and you’re now in my past
With confidence in myself, the unknown and a future so vast