You destroy my facade,
Wreck my pride,
Mock my shame.
You overthrow my modesty,
Belittle my bravery,
Ridicule my graveness.
You collapse my self-confidence,
Scupper my generosity,
Crush my softness.
All because of you,
You are a storm in a pair of blue eyes,
and an easy smile.
I don’t pretend anymore,
And I quieted my pride.
I’m learning to forget shame,
and own what I’ve worked at.
I’ve pushed my bravery further,
and learned to laugh at myself.
Confidence is mine now,
no longer an abstract concept tied to me by string,
built on foundations of sand.
When I’m kind now,
I do for the love of it,
as much as I can, and no more.
I’m gentler now,
because instead of feeling soft,
I feel strong, but choosing to be tender.
You ruin me, so I may be rebuilt.