As We Slept
you told me that one night
as you rolled over me in bed
I flung my arms around you and
hung on for dear life
at the time you didn’t know how to escape
my first question to that was
why would you want to?
my second question was
what else have I done, what else
have you not told me about the time spent
as we slept?
you told me that one night
I reached out with my hand
to press my fingers around your arm so tightly
that they left marks on the underside of your skin
the next day you tried to erase them
but could not get rid
of the lovely bruises I’d given you
I apologized for anything
that might have hurt you, yet
your true concern was that the marks I left
were visible to others
as we slept
I dreamt of our waking moments together
letting down the barriers I put up
allowing all of you in, as we slept
you did not tell me that
at night, when we turned the lights off and
closed our eyes, I had a habit
of mumbling my secrets into your shoulder
that over time I’d started to say
everything I refused to admit in the daylight
when the night hours took over my lips
if you had told me the real reason
you left was because my whispers
kept you awake
I would have understood
as we slept
you saw me for who I really am
and realized that my dreams were not
ones you wanted to share, as we slept