He touched me.

He touched me,

Caressed my cheek with his thumb,

Pointed at my heart knowing that’s where he’ll always be,

Flipped off anyone i didn’t like without me asking him to,

Avowed me marriage in the form of a promise ring,

and was the littlest of all his brothers

He touched me.

With the way he made those finger guns, vowing to protect me,

Used the peace sign in all his photos with his family,

Held up gang signs in all the photos with his friends

He touched me.

He held me in his arms like I was the only thing that ever mattered,

Like the soccer ball he always kicked,

Like the basketball he always bounced

He touched me.

He loved giving everyone high fives,

And on other days fist bumps,

The same five-finger-and-palm combination he used with his friends

He touched me.

The same fingers I would interlock mine with choked me,

The same hands I held slapped me,

The same fists he bumped with his boys bumped my face

He touched me.

The same arms that lived around my shoulders held me down,

The same strength he tackled his homies with pinned me to the ground

He touched me.

He held me amidst my screams,

He held me as I cried,

Until my voice grew tired,

And cries turned silence

He touched me mother,

he touched me.