You are a friend of a friend,
One I don’t particularly like.
You can not handle your drink
Because every party night is taken to the extreme.
You come stumbling into the room,
Quite clearly drunk as a skunk,
But you are a friend of a friend.
So I will not complain to her.
Instead, I keep my thoughts about your behavior to myself.
.
But when you touch me,
Lay your hand on my shoulder,
When you believe you have a right to my body
because I have been cordial to you–
Polite and friendly and kind because that is who I try to be–
And you take that as an invitation to touch me…
I do not appreciate your touch, and I make it known
I tell you, straightforward, “do not touch me”
My smile drops, my mood has shifted from friendly to serious
I want you to understand the point I am making
I want you to respect my boundaries
I want to keep my personal space as is my right to do so
Have I been invading your space?
Have I looked at you with another other than pleasant kindness I offer to any stranger I meet?
Have I not offered you the silent respect of a stranger and not said anything about your intoxicated behavior?
.
But when the smile slips
And I demand respect of my own,
you take it as a personal slight against yourself.
Your eyebrows rise and your eyes widen
You are shocked that I have stated my desire to not have someone I have met for the second time touch my skin
–I am uncomfortable with your strange touch–
.
But you do not understand where this is coming from
Because I was polite to you and you thought it was within your rights to lay a hand upon my shoulder
So when I say the words “do not touch me”
You pull back and assume I am gay
You assume that any girl that is not interested in your touch must somehow not be interested in men at all
.
My sexuality is not the reason I do not appreciate you touching my shoulder and calling me “sweetie”
No, I do not need a reason.
And sure, in the end,
You move back a step and remove your hand.
But you grumble and make assumptions as you do so.
You begrudgingly do as I say.
When you had no right
To invade my personal space and a touch my bare skin
In the first place.
.
So while you think this behavior is okay
–that your actions were okay–
Because you technically listened in the end…
.
Do not be annoyed with me when I say
“do not touch me” without a smile on my face.
Do not be shocked when I tell you
“no” without backing up my demand with a reason.
I do not need to explain my reasoning to you
I do not need a reason
It is my body
And I am uncomfortable.
.
So respect my wish,
And “do not touch me.”