Consent

I am keeping it generic since it is such a personal and sensitive subject- one that leaves me very emotional and disgusted with myself. If it's not obvious, this poem is about sex.

The poem itself, lives within the realm of a committed relationship, like marriage- but it's a breach of trust between spouses. It's a situation where saying no, will cause further problems - including temper tantrums, name calling, or general scolding that the partner is not doing her duty. So the wife agrees reluctantly.

The nuances, you ask? All the signs of a no, are there in the body- it's closed, fearful, uninterested in touch. The mind and body is so intertwined, that even if the body is malleable, there is an aftertaste that remains long after the act. And this is only reinforced the next time it happens. This might all be TMI or possibly just crazy convoluted, that you still have no idea what I am talking about.