I crush your soul every day
and you
you don't shout.
Neither do I.

we speak with sweat.
with a broken rhythm.
with eyes cast downwards
but it's not enough.

you are there.
and you don't show up.

Do you know how many times I came?
without a body?
by weight only
and noise?

you taught me
to fall correctly.
without shame.
without a voice.
without a witness.

one evening —
didn't even have a match —
I licked you with my knees
like a dog begging
to endure.

and you didn't give in.
Why would you do that?
I was the broken one.

other times
I look at you without looking at you.
a gaze that never ends.
as a warm-up.

and when the hall is quiet,
and the others leave
with their victory defeat —
I'm staying a little while.

I press down with less force.
I ask you silently:
“Did you put up with me today?”

and I feel you answering me
with a small
from within
"Yes."