she had a very fragile heart,
the sort that seemed in drought
and so she locked her heart away
to keep the monsters out
and though at first
it eased the hurt
the truth in time would tell -
that when you lock out all the pain
you lock out love as well.

he hugged her so tightly she no longer felt ill;
he hugged every fraction back into a whole;
he hugged til the twinkle returned to her eyes;
he hugged all the darkness right out of her soul.