"Statement"

STATEMENT

To all men
who are real men:
I need a man
to console me,
to love me,
to love me
d
o
w
n.
But not just any man—
Let me tell you what I like:
big-framed, broad-shouldered,
strong-armed,
and a little thick;
strong hands on those big arms
to grab and hold me
with a tenderness
that belies his size.
I need him to hold me
to spite the darkness,
dispel my fears,
obliterate pain.
I want him to make love to me—
love that blinds me,
consumes me,
so I am nothing more
than sounds
and sensation.
I want to engorge on our lust,
then rest in our love,
fulfilled, content, and exhausted.
And, when I awake in silent hours,
I want him near,
simple and solid.

I want a man who has some rhythm—
a beat
to his speech
and his steps.
with some spice
in his life
and some hips
that can move
to any kind of groove,
especially a love groove.

I want a man who wants me
in
every
single
way,
who tells me constantly,
“Papi, you got it going on,
from your eyes to your thighs,
your lips to your hips.
I can’t get enough.
I need you now
and always.”

I want a man who loves art,
who’s amazed by Rembrandt,
who can put words together
in unknown ways,
but is blue-collar and plain,
and speaks of plain things
with an honesty
that’s all him.

And above all,
I want a man
who is refuge from the world,
on whose shoulder I can rest my head,
a chest where I can lay my hand
to feel all that’s beneath,
all that’s there for me—
my familiar territory
and safety.