I learned the fear of love again
after the needle went in.
Concluded it meant other things,
my body now at hazard:

removing clothes in rooms in parts of town
where taxi ranks are rare,
accepting rides in cars
which might go anywhere,
turning your back in the dark,
the arms of the other
a double intangible.

Don't run away: it knows you've seen.
Don't make yourself look big: it's territorial.
Do not sneak up on love: it fights when cornered.
Don't make sudden moves: love will not see you, if you're still.