The boots don’t always fit,
Sometimes they feel too tight.
But put them on; break them in —
Know one day they’ll be just right.

I’d barely found my feet again
Still limping through the past
The ghost of it in every step
A love that couldn’t last
My heart, half-cast in plaster still
Not ready, or so I thought
But then you came, all windswept grace
And everything was caught



You, too, were learning how to walk
Each step a silent win
Your legs remembered far less than you
But fire burned within
We met somewhere between the falls
Between the brave and bruised
Two strangers with unfinished scars
And too much left to lose



We both wore masks in different ways
Each hiding what still hurt
Too much to carry all at once
Too scared to risk the worst
Yet still we laughed and touched the edge
Of something kind and new
And bit by bit, without intent
I let go of the past through you



But in my head the wires crossed
Too much I couldn’t name
The joy, the fear, the pull, the past
All playing the same game
I acted strange, not quite myself
Too distant, then too near
A tangled heart that couldn’t speak
A love that had met fear



I fancied you the way the moon
Pulls tides without a sound
Too soon, too much, yet there it was
My world turned upside down
We kissed beneath the car park lights
A moment raw and real
A rush of something kind and wild
I hadn’t meant to feel



Then later in your van
A life you’d built with care
You let me in, just for a breath
As if I’d always been there
And in your eyes, I saw a world
Of multi-colour blue
Like rock pools lit with changing light
Of shifting shades and hue



Still doubt would knock inside my chest
The past not fully gone
But in meeting you, I understood
That somehow I’m moving on
It wasn’t neat, it never is
Our laughter, the crutch, the stain
Two souls just trying not to fall
Yet stumbling through our pain



But there was something in your face
That made the chaos calm
A quiet knowing in the mess
A kindness like a balm
Connection, I am learning,
Doesn’t crash, it stumbles into view
Like learning how to walk again
With someone next to you



And maybe this was never meant
To last or be defined
But for a while, we found a pace
Where healing intertwined
So here’s to sand beneath our shoes
To kisses out of place
To vans and stars and aching hearts
That somehow found their space



We may not walk this road again
Or know what’s meant to be
But I’m thankful for the time we had
And all it has taught me