Love Poem: Is This What Love Is
Alexander Gillhaus Avatar
Written by: Alexander Gillhaus

Is This What Love Is

Those soft tendrils of skin grazing my being
Taking in my form whole
Accepting me as I was
Using me as I was

When did love turn to deceit and lies
When did my body turn into a medium of use
I'm nothing but my body, my parts, my abilities
That's all you ever wanted from me, wasn't it?

You felt me, but you didn't see me.
Now I lay in bed every night
Feeling the pound of you inside and out
A rhythmic motion, nonconsensual, debilitating 

I'm frozen in time, pinned to a bed with no escape
My bed, your bed, Lake Arrowhead
It's all the same, as my no's and pleads fall apart
My consent never mattered, did it?

Coercion is a funny thing
Gaslighting of the self
"Is this what love is?" my 16 year old self asks.
"No, kiddo, not even close" my current self replies.