I close my eyes.

Icy blue walls,

A lonely wound stripped to the bone.

Knobby knees,

Shins peppered with bicycle pedal bruises.

Thud thud,

The quake of iron-ore caked boots.

Blue collar,

Open to the third button.

Matted chest hair,

Covered in grime and sweat.

Insignificant fuck-ups,

Unleash disproportionate reactions.

Unbuckled steel,

A leather serpent escapes.

Coiled,

Poised to strike.

Shadows descend,

As I brace for impact.

Fwhish! Snap,

The silence of unbroken skin.

Purported mercy,

Sears a fear of the threat.

Amplifying dols infinitely,

Obliterating agency.

I open my eyes.

Sky blue angel,

Steely eyed determination.

The protector I needed,

I bask in her shadow.

The shadows recede,

As my world lights up.

Warm,

Safe.