Soft elbows have always been
Part of the body I live in

It means I can’t deflect cruelty
Off any sharp angles on me

For there are none, not one
The effects, I have absorbed them

I am the same as then
The rosette of a girl I’ve always been

My freshly shampooed hair, towel-wrapped
Willingly given to cover a friends’ back

The harsh temps will have not changed me
Soft elbows I will always be