i wonder when i became
the expert at navigating
your spiky exterior
the go-to person
when your hard shell
needs to be breached
why i always find you
alone in a corner waiting
for me to come home
to find your cracks
with unflinching fingers
to coax you open
along your seams
to bare your innermost being
an incongruous core
of sweetness
and softness
and delicateness
what are they scared of?
in all the years i’ve known you
all the times i’ve torn you apart
you have not once
hurt me