If I ask you what are you wearing by Oak Ayling
I mean what ache is this you have taught my body to dance to
I mean what burdens do you need
To let slip from your broken shoulders
And why do you feel you can't?
I mean come here
And let me undress you
Of worry and hurt and fear
I mean chase me
Up the stairs and in
To your arms at last
If I ask what are you wearing
I mean that thing bound so tight around your chest
You sometimes cannot bear the weight of breathing
I mean lie down here and forget with me
Forget and laugh and feel something good
Settle inside you like a soft creature falling asleep.
Oak Ayling (she/her) is a Pushcart Prize nominated poet and closet librarian. Her debut pamphlet 'With Love from the Curator' is out now with Indigo Dreams Publishing. Her other works can be found in various literary magazines and anthologies. Follow her on tweeters @oakayling.