I have to comfort myself,
rub my palms together or let my own thumb run along my skin the way a loved one’s should.
Sometimes I hug myself to imitate love.
I’ll whisper sweet words, reassurances that no one else can give me.
I wish I could kiss my own skin,
Leave trails of red along my own pigment just to see love.
When love is distant and almost gone I have to,
I have to keep my own sanity,
Remind myself I am loveable,
Even when the world tells me I’m not.