1.
Touch is one of five senses.
A feeling we all interpret.
2.
The childhood joke that never gets old:
“I’m not touching you!”
“I’m not touching you!”
It’s so close you think you can feel it,
yet it’s still so far.
3.
That gentle graze of confusion. Was
it intentional? Was it accidental?
What do I make of this now
awkward moment?
4.
The shaking of hands are characterized
as formal
with no context behind the interlock.
What no one sees is the meaning
behind a
gentle grip
versus a
vicious squeeze.
5.
One palm’s gentle jog up my thigh
and the other’s sprint along my hip as
tender lips touch and breathe echoes
the question “are we going too fast?”
6.
Blood dripping,
stroking the soft skin.
Bruises swelling,
cursing at any contact.
Scars building,
leaving a new skin texture.
7.
Their handhold seems innocent.
Why is she shaking, though?
8.
An arm pulling me into an embrace,
the bony edge like a pillow in
this day of tears, this day
when a bully had me doubting
everything I knew about myself.
This embrace being the only
protection, the only savior, from any rash action I may regret.
9.
I feel his hand in my hair, his grip
on my thigh, his graze down my hip.
Unfortunately, the imagination creates
sensations almost stronger than the
real thing, especially when
you know what you’re thinking of
will never return.
10.
The bang! felt in our hands
after the celebratory high-five
for your perfect midterm score.
11.
The fuzz of a blanket on
a cold winter night complimented
by the warm coating of
hot chocolate against my lip. Of
course, when I’m comfy,
that’s when the stray tag chooses
to stab the random stray
skin between my shirt and pajamas.
12.
The bang of our bodies crashing
together after an embrace of
excitement; we haven’t seen
each other for a year.
13.
Touch is more than a sense.
It’s a story in itself.
[Original layout of this poem displayed above, under accessible text].
Emma Breer is a creative fiction writer from Puyallup, Washington. She received a BA in English/Writing from Pacific Lutheran University in May 2025 and her MA from Southern Utah University in August 2026. Recently, WILDSound Festival released an audio reading of Breer’s short story, An Arch of…, on three different platforms (YouTube, Festival for Family, and WILDsound Festival TV’s official website). Another one of Breer’s short stories, A Short Forever, was released on Half and One’s literary website. She hopes to write pieces with strong themes that impact readers in powerful ways.