Why are people ashamed of me
When so intimate we be
In the bedroom
I wait for you
An appetite, night after night
Love in tiny bites
Be proud. Show me off
Like the mark from a hickey
I take from you
Leaving some of me
Partner to the betrothed. The lonely
With so many looking for love
We found each other
By chance, on the bus
I will never judge or deceive
With me, there is no mistrust
Always dependable! I show up
I’ll love you no matter what
Just as much
Listening to your prayers
Podcasts and plays
We have the same tastes
You’re free to vent after long days
You need me, psychologically
Of that, how can you not see
Still, you exterminate
From these actions
What must I extrapolate
A sense of shame
You see me as a pest
An unwanted guest
But I am unconditional love
At its best
Exploring intimacy with unlikely characters. This poem was inspired by John Donne’s The Flea. While writing I remembered an ealier piece of mine, Sweep (2020).
© 2026 Ociola Samantha Williams. All Rights Reserved.
