Only your ink stains on her skin

You're the only one that she lets in
close enough to stain her skin.
But even you can go no deeper
although her shield is paper thin.

Through her guard you glimpse her heart
and how she holds it far apart
from the world outside and all its dangers;
Whole and pure and left unmarked.

I watch as your ink bleeds through
underneath her skin.
And although she doesn't know it she
has slowly let you in.

When you go
(and you always go)
you want her to remember.

When you are leaving
you want to leave something -
a small token of your affection,
but your pockets are empty.

Only your words,
small blocks of text,
remain on her mind

pebbles in her shoes;
stains on her skin.