sometimes I feel myself instinctively caressing my arms

as if my hands were shields

that could somehow seal them of

from the rest of the world

the acne marks and freckles that linger

and I find that I constantly check myself

if I press them too close to my body,

they become hot air balloons that expand and fly someplace

far, far, away.

so I keep them moving, distant and foreign from the rest of me

no matter how much I wish to hide them,

they're not all bad

I may have the arms of a bat

but they are so beautiful and uniquely me

and I know that there are none out there that are quite like these

oh, if they could speak!

God knows the stories that they would tell

and unleash upon this world.

"Remember that time I braced you from that fall?"

"Remember the time I kept you warm as snow fell?"

"Remember that time where I helped you balance those meals as you served those hungry patrons?"

"Remember the times when I shielded your eyes from the sun when you were driving home?"

as much as I want to disown you

toss you out in the cold,

never to see you in my line of vision again,

you are a part of me

and a part of me you will stay.