I wanted to learn how to swim back then.
I was a little chubby and my skin was white
as milk. I wore my favorite red Speedo swim
suit. My couch told me to swim to him in the
pool when no one was looking he touched my
upper thigh. “If you scream or cry I’ll hurt you”
he said. In a blink of an eye he pinched and
twisted the skin on my thigh. Out of the water
I went showing my mom bruised and blue skin.
She grabbed me by the hand and into the manager’s
office we went. I showed him the blue mark on
my skin telling him your coach touched me with
his hand he told me not to tell. With anger and
shame my coach came in before he spoke or tried to
turn what he’d done to me into a joke he was told
that he’s been fired and not allowed to be near the
pool ever again. Despite the bruise on my skin I
was happy to get my revenge to speak out and not
let the fear take over me from within* ~

He licks the poetry
off her lips between
each and every kiss.
He reads the words
on her skin with his
fingertips just like the
blind read their words
in braille* ~