Trigger Warning: extensive discussion of sexual molestation and abuse
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Soft skin
Young skin
As many years as fingers
10
Goosebumps
Tickles
Feather light
Hands
Hard hands
Hard hands gentle on soft skin
Hard lips gentle on soft lips
Young skin
Soft skin
Blue dress
Rosettes on waistband
Hands creeping
Claiming
Owning
Possessing
Soft skin mild
Compliant
Shy
Frightened
Shaking
Hard hands owning, owning, owning, owning
Still gentle in touch but
soft lips open
Please don’t
Hard hands own
Soft skin
Broken
Soft skin marked
Soft heart losing blood
Losing life
Losing desire, want to, passion, vitality
Spiraling
Guilt
Wicked, evil soft skin
Soft skin should have been a cactus
Prickly
Sharp
Biting
Soft heart should have been a cactus
Prickly
Sharp
Biting
Wicked, evil soft heart
Broken
Broken
Broken
No hope
No breath
No space
Hard hands still owning, owning, owning
Chasing
Taking
Holding
Claiming
No bruises on soft skin
Bruises on soft heart
Soft heart sweet sixteen
Soft heart turned away from dreams:
Husband
Children
Home
Love
Life
Soft heart cold
Soft heart broken
Soft heart lost
Hard hands owning
Hard hands taking
Tender hands touch soft skin
Offer to hug
Offer to comfort
Soft lips tighten in high piercing scream
Can’t help it
Tender hands are not owning soft skin
Tender hands do not mean to hurt
Tender hands want to help
Tender hands don’t understand
Tender hands don’t know about hard hands
No one knows about hard hands
Only soft heart
Soft skin
Alone
Hard hands owning
Hard hands taking
Hard hands owning
Hard
Hands
Owning
NO
No
Nononononononononono
NO
N
O
Soft heart firm
Soft heart owning soft skin
Soft skin owning soft heart
Soft heart pushing hard hands
Soft skin pushing hard hands
Soft heart angry
Soft skin angry
Break hard hands
Crush hard hands
No
Ignore hard hands
Ignore hard hands
Hard hands do not exist in soft skin space
Soft skin owns self
Soft lips own self
Soft heart owns self
Tender hands touch soft skin
Soft skin softens
Soft skin loves
Soft skin gives
Soft lips give
Soft heart gives
Tender hands receive
Tender hands give back
Soft skin
Soft heart
Soft lips
Love
Dearest, you are not alone. I understand all too well the devastation, the agony, the blaming of one’s self. I understand being afraid of touch and hating to be seen. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
You are not alone.
~Love, Butterfly Emergent~
You Are Not Alone. 
Oh, darling ❤ My heart aches for you. You are so strong ❤ ❤
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Thank you ❤
I always had a hard time believing I was strong, but I'm sort of starting to see that maybe I am.
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My dear, this was beautifully written, and my heart breaks that you have suffered this too.
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Thank you Lovely ❤
To be honest I was scared stiff to share it; had I not been dead asleep this morning, I might have changed the post. But I think I am glad that I didn't let my fear control me and that I did share it. One thing that I promised myself was not to let this individual hold sway over me anymore than he had already. And being so scared that I wouldn't talk about it – that was buying into the fear he instilled in me.
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Oh dear… This poem is frightfully beautiful. I’m amazed at how you can speak without using full sentences and still convey such intense emotion. I’m so sorry you’ve gone through this, but dear, as Priceless Tree Dweller said, you are so strong. Thank you for being so brave and sharing yourself. ❤
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To be honest, the only way I spoke at all was with broken sentences. Thank you. ❤
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You’re welcome, dear. ❤
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This is so incredibly poetic, and tastefully written. There is a good and bad way to go about writing about these types of topics, and you blew it out of the water! This is devastatingly haunting, and my heart aches for you and everyone who has had to endure this.
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Thank you. I tried really hard to do it well; it’s encouraging to hear I did a good job. ❤
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The emotion you conveyed is impressive and powerful. Seriously leaves me here, skin crawling because I once knew some hard hands too. You wrote that incredibly well and it is hauntingly true to the inside of the mind of that. I’m so entirely and deeply sorry that you had to go through that, you are wonderful and strong and amazing. You are very strong. And I saw that you’re starting to believe that. I hope you continue to see that in yourself because that’s what I see in you, a bright strong butterfly.
❤
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Aww, lovely, you made me cry… Thank you so much for your kind words. ❤
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❤
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