It’s true
I’ve walked through fires
I’ve run through my dark inner corridors
I’ve jumped not knowing where or how I would land
I’ve gotten burned
Seen terrors inside myself
And found myself shattered at the bottom of the cliff
I rise
I smile and laugh and cheer us all on
My scars invisible yet palpable
Lenses that allow me to see into souls.
And I’ve noticed
It feels intense to be in the presence of such sight
Perhaps because they
don’t understand how much
how very much
I love what I see through those lenses
Or perhaps
It is more frightening still
To be seen and loved so deeply.
Do you know what really takes courage?
To keep showing up
As the Brave one
Who must be kept at arm’s length or dismissed altogether
When really,
I just want to crawl into loving arms
And have those scars caressed
Wounds dressed
And be seen as Human, as Beloved, as Friend.
Just
for a moment
Be anything but Brave.