RESTRAINT

I know the chains that hold us

aren’t meant to hurt

they keep us close.

They keep us wanting.

I could let go completely.

But what would that do to you?

To have you is to lose you.

To have me means I slip away.

our soft, secret word.

The one that saves us

from going too far.

The one that says:

I want you, but not all of you

Tie me down because

I want to kiss you,

hard, deep,

but not deep enough to leave a bruise.

I want you to feel me

But take away the temptation to scratch you,

You need to look untouched.

I know that.

So how do I bite you

without leaving my taste behind?

How do I touch you

without making you mine?

We see the world outside,

just barely, thin glass,

a breath away.

But we stay in here,

where the night holds our secrets.

And before we go too far,

before want becomes need

we pause. We pull back.

Restraint.

It’s not a no.

It’s a slow yes.

A promise

that we could go there

but we can't so we won’t.