Intricacy Within Simplicity

you ask why. a simple three lettered word. why? yet for some reason i had no answer. you ask why i flinch when you touch me. its not that i despise the way your hand gently brushes mine, or the butterflies that swarm my stomach when you look at me. its not that i don't love the warm flush i feel when your hand rests on my knee or around my waist. its not that i don't find the chills you give me exhilarating. its not that the thought of you alone doesn't cause me to blush. its not that i don't love how perfectly your hand fits in mine, as if we were a clay sculpture, incomplete without the other.  IM DAMAGED   i can't tell you that i flinch because someone once tried to touch me like you do, but instead of a gentle caress, they attacked with malice and greed. i can't tell you that the same place your hand brushes, another hand has already beaten and bruised. i can't tell you that i was raised to believe that all sweet words are lies, and that i never believe ...

" I want to apologize to the women I have called pretty,  before I've called them intelligent or brave.  I am sorry I made it sound as though something as simple as what you're born with is the most you have to be proud of when your spirit has crushed mountains. From now on I will say things like, your are resilient or, you are extraordinary. Not because I don't think you're pretty, but because you are so much more than that." -Rupi Kaur This poem has influenced my life recently, not only in the way I act, but the way I treat others. But this isn't just to women, and it isn't only about your looks. It is so much more than that. This poem to me, when in context of my life, has me apologizing to every boy I've called cute before wondering what his hopes and dreams are. It has caused me to stop being jealous of girls because they are prettier, and instead be proud of myself because I am resilient.  This poem has emphasized that ...