Lightly you strike me

With gentile confidence, a casual pause of thought

Knowing exactly when to hit me

To push you forward

Into that next

Here.

And for a while

We have a rhythm, you and me

Tap, tap, tap, tap—strike

But then,

You veer from our simpatico

Silence at first

So I take a long breath

Then I can feel in your touch something else

Angry, sweaty deliberation

Tic Tok, tick tok

The hour wants you now

And you will take it out on me

So the strikes become a beating

Can’t do, can’t do, can’t do

Punching like a desperate boxer

Knowing there’s no point

Because you can’t finish this.