Limitless trepidation follows me,
each step forward a hazard to dread 
Being with you is like braving a minefield
I’ve been drafted rather than recruited,
an obligation I can’t seem to refuse
Stepping into each conversation tenderly 
Thoroughly aware of the explosives surrounding my feet 
Red-hot deposits of impassioned fury,
so easily set off 
The bitter reality I’ve grown accustomed to
Like a hardened soldier, I endure