I want to paint your wrist

Let me see your hand

Let me hold the canvas white skin

A painting with a pulse

That's what you'll be

More than a pretty thing hanging on a wall

You'll move

You'll breathe

I want to paint your wrist

And make tree branches from your veins

I want to drape you in watercolor cherry blossoms

And cover you in acrylic waves

Let the India ink soak in your pores

I want to paint your wrist

Sit cross legged on your bed at night

Let you scroll with the one hand

While I delicately paint the other

I want to paint your wrist

Turn your scars into stars

And make you know they're beautiful

They mean something

You're beautiful

Let me paint your wrist

Not to cover up, but to enhance

Not to enhance, rather entrance

Let everyone be twitterpated

With the masterpiece you are

God do I want to paint your wrist

I don't know why

I dont know how the idea came to my mind

I took a glance at your pale skin

And felt the sudden need 

To paint on a canvas so exquisite

That the work will only stay a day

If I'm lucky

You'll let me paint your wrist

Over and over again

I want to paint your wrist

So much

So often that people think you have a tattoo

I want it to be our own personal henna

Every brushstroke a promise

I love you

I love you

I love you

A pinky promise as I take your hand

You're worth it

You're worth it

You're worth it

And I want to paint your wrist

And I want to make you see

That you're the only work of art

That means anything to me

And I want you to soak in beauty

When the paint washes away

Let the pigment soak into your skin

Or swirl in the water

Whatever you choose

Whatever makes you happiest to see

I want you to feel the same as when it's there

I want to paint your wrist

Until it's the only abstract you don't understand

I want to paint your wrist

Your lovely, bare wrist

Over

And over

Again

Until you're convinced

You are my master piece.

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i feel this is to a child, something to hold her, maybe in the memory...a painting---of the mind...of the child, imprint to hold onto when she is gone from the home...the time seems so short that they are children...

any way...that is how this spoke to me...and it did that with really intense feeling....the repetition surely enhances that feeling...and entrances us.

[Julia Ledo]

I hadn't even thought of it that way. Thank you for this new perspective

[Mister_Ryan]

The reoccurring line "I want to paint your wrist" (even though it's in the title which I would usually advise against because of the constant usage in the poem but I like it so much hell yeah, say it again) becomes more and more dynamic with every use. And then by the last line my mouth was open, drooling out "fuuuu****k." I want to critique you so bad but I can't on this one. I just want you to know your style is what I think poetry needs today.

[Elwyn]

alright alright alright

when I first clicked on this, I was like, "ohhh boy, a self-harm poem." BUT you went and surprised me with the most perfect love poem in the history of forever, probably. And I'm really not a romantic, but this made me into one, I think.

the reptitions of "i love you" made me melt. The "you're worth it"'s kind of made me want to cry. Everything about this is so sweet and so utterly unique... the idea of painting somebody's wrists is just so cute. The idea of a person being the most perfect canvas, so perfect that you just want to paint on them even if it only stays a day. The fact that it's so temporary makes it even sweeter because you want to go through ALL that effort for something that will be alive for a few hours JUST because you want to paint on this exquisite canvas.

Julia, to be honest, I am horrifically awestruck with this piece. I love it.

[Julia Ledo]

Oh gosh, thank you

[Elwyn]

oh my god i'm going to give this a proper review when i get home from work but i'm utterly obsessed and if i was in love i would send that person the link to this right away, oh my god