who i am and why i'm not (poetry)

armadillo girl

I used to be a strong girl,

everything calm and easy

and safe.

I used to take in tough words

and let them bounce

off my armored back.

roaming the dunes unafraid,

unknown, unneeded.

I loved it.

the desert was the place for me,

solitude and sunsets all I ever knew.

I used to not need anybody,

until somebody became

everything there was.

brown hair fell into my life,

cooling my days with a voice

as soft as rain.

I've never felt drops of such glory.

he scatters them

on my skin like constellations,

turning my body into a universe.

his hands hold my waist as a

tree holds its blooms,

admiring their impossible beauty.

I run my fingers through his

silky head, loosening sand off

my palms as I move.

desert days don't suit me as much

anymore.

the snakes slither and the cacti bite

and I find myself

dreaming of his stormy eyes.

I want to jump into the ocean

of his soul, feel the cold of

his lips on my neck.

stare up at his smile as

he devastates my heated heart.

I used to be a strong girl,

rolling through the hot days.

now, I am in love.

-V