A poem I wrote yesterday

do i know who you are?
or just who you’re not
adamantly
the stranger behind your eyes
who has immunity to me
who gets immunity from me
i used to know how to pull the strings
of your protective instincts
doe eyes
deer in the headlights
hoodie in the summer
purple fingerprints
hiding behind anemia
the grown up realization
that on purpose
isn’t differential
a pause in time for endless questions
do you love me when you’re afraid?
life doesn’t care how old you are
when time is of the essence
fresh water flowing into the sea
tied to a drowning man
who promised to teach me
how to swim