You arrive like an echo — seemingly distant, yet you shatter my temples. The thought of you is warm. Familiar, it warms my heart. But beneath my skin pain spreads. My legs refuse to move. A ringing in my ears. As if no one warned me that touch could tear me apart. I want to return, but every cell in me pulls the other way. I no longer know if this is love, or just self-defense disguised as longing.