remember the mountains you've climbed, the valleys, the deserts, the cold nights, everything you've been through to reach here. bring the lessons, the people you love, anything you need for the journey ahead, and greet the new year at the summit.
their laughter drifts into the air. her honey irises sparkle every time his smile warms up the room. these moments with him form sugar crystals. the crystals are kept close to her heart as her love for him grows.
the inner voice whispers, "tell them you're struggling." my vocal cords are warmed up, ready to give life to the words. but the hand over my mouth is an impermeable barrier set by the critical voice that is fueled by fear.
the people who should protect her stare into her exhausted eyes and hammer nails into her heart. chains bearing obligation and trauma coil tighter and tighter around her ankles. resisting worsens the sensation - almost cutting off the circulation until the pain is so great that numbness takes over, which leads to not resisting, which feels like resignation - and the cycle keeps going. all she wants is to run freely until the nails and chains are distant memories that she will never pass on to anyone else.
my love carries the scent of vanilla perfume. it drifts through me, then dances with the wind until it finally reaches him, the man a thousand miles away, and brings us closer together.