i asked for sanctuary,
the universe gave me you.

Underneath, there are secrets
Kept safe from prying eyes
Held fast and secure
Behind a lame disguise

Would they think less of me
If everything was shown
I wonder, would their eyes still see
The person they have known

The knight strides forth to battle
In his suit of Maximilian
Sword-edges turn aside and bodkins bend
Powerless to pierce this fortress of steel

The visor veils his visage
His voice muffled within
Admirers acclaim the armor
Valor, virtue, and victory

But only she beholds
the man within the Maximilian
And her arms are his safest stronghold
His sweetest solace

I have memories
Of lying down in the backyard
Of my childhood home
Dressed in a hug
Parka, snow bibs, and gloves a size too big
The world had grown completely silent
All my fears held back
By a curtain of snowflakes

Sometimes
when the world is too loud
And everything is a little too much
My mind will wander off
To a snowy neighborhood
At night
In a small town

Often times this mental space
holds only darkness
All my developmental flaws
Packed away in moving boxes
Thick black smoke seeps between the cracks
Of pristine cardboard and plastic
Being loaded onto a truck
A size too small

It’s funny
That house never felt like a home
But sometimes
When the world was wrapped
In a blanket of snow
I felt peace and warmth
Out in the cold