Don't worry, love,
I know those gates of stone
stand firmly
to guard the most precious parts
of your soul.

I am not here like the others;
not as a warrior
planning a siege
or a strategist
plotting to knock them down.

I respect your walls too much.

You have fought in more wars
than most;
you have been betrayed by more loves
than most could survive -
your walls are the result
of your scars.

So here I stand before you,
my weapons laid down,
my intentions spread out before the Sun,
with nothing in my hands
but open palms,
asking you
to let me in.

Show me, love,
all those terrible,
beautiful
wild flowers
growing in your garden -
I want to do nothing
but paint them to remember,
and carry their fallen petals
safely in my heart.

Open up to me, please,
my love -
I am already yours.

I lost a part of myself
A long time ago.
But one day,
I woke up
During the middle of spring
And I saw the sun for the first time in a while.
I stopped comparing my tears to the rain.
Instead of the voices inside my head,
All I could hear were the sounds of nature.
I laughed until it no longer sounded foreign.
I did all of these things
Because something inside clicked.
I was happy.

I lost a part of myself
A long time ago.
But,
I think I found it.

She downplays my emotions
I may be sad,
But she's depressed.
I may be stressed,
But she's been running around all day.
I had a long day,
But hers was even longer.

I am unhappy,
But my emotions aren't as important
As hers.