[un]protected. part 2. revised.

you extended your hand to me
and i hesitated
my nervousness about touch
making commitment real.
to unbrick the wall
brick after brick
often only mortar
scraped in tiny centimeters
by bloodied fingers.
and then, even then
you extended your hand to me.
can i hold your hand? you asked
the last thing i thought
would ever come from your mouth.
i relented, and trusted
innocently
and in those few minutes
you took it all away
my hand in yours
in that silence.