Every time he told me I was beautiful, every time he reminded me how strong I was, every time he held me when I cried,

he was planting seeds.

Planting the seeds to help me bloom into the beautiful flower that I'm supposed to be.

Right now I'm a stem. I have a few leaves over here, and a few dead ones over there.

But it's time to bloom.

Into a beautiful flower, who glistens in the rain, and shines in the sun.

A flower who needs nothing but the earth to keep it alive.

A flower who needs to believe in itself in order to thrive.

Faces only remind you of
How lonely you are,
You say you've swam too far
Into the sea of your regrets
That I am your lifeboat
But didn't you hear
I sank long, long ago?

You've been searching
For a new home,
One that doesn't creak
Or shudder at night.
But homes are not people
And your voice cracks
As you point out
There's a welcome mat
By the front door
But I never answer
When you knock.

It's been a while since
I started attracting
Strangers with flashlights
To search me like
A haunted place.
I finally realized they
Were the ones that
Needed scaring away.

It's so odd to think,
You once told me
You saw beauty
In clifftops,
And I thought you
Were talking about
The view.