She knew she was susceptible.

She understood her circumstances

enough to know

that when her need was great,

her self-esteem battered,

and her heart depleted,

she was considered fair game

and had to be vigilant.

She knew enough to accept

that a kind word or gesture,

a certain turn of phrase,

sometimes even

the smallest courtesy

put her heart into

a free-fall that would end

with her desolation.

So she moved carefully,

spoke quietly

and kept her thoughts

locked up tightly

within herself.

She was ripe and ready

to fall into skilled hands

which made her wary

and desperate

to keep a resolute grip

on her self-control

in an attempt to avoid

any wrong choices

in a moment of weakness.

She wanted most of all

to turn away from anything

that would shame her

when she looked back on it.

But there were times,

oh, there was more

than just one time,

when to feel the breath

of another against her skin…

she would carefully consider

deliberately risking

everything.