They slip in when I’m not paying attention—
A laugh I don’t recognize,
A dream that feels too soft,
Too fragile for this skin I wear now.
She belonged to another time,
A girl with open hands
And a heart wide enough to hold the whole world,
Believing it wouldn’t crush her.
But it did.
It shattered her in ways
She couldn’t put back together,
So I took her place.
I built walls she couldn’t,
Spoke words she wouldn’t,
And learned to walk through fire
Without flinching.
She was too soft for this life,
Too trusting,
Too much like sunlight in a place
That only knows shadows.
She doesn’t belong here,
And I’ve kept her hidden
Because I knew the world would eat her alive.
Still, she lingers—
In the sound of wind through trees,
In the way rain feels against my skin.
She’s not gone, not really,
Just buried somewhere deep,
Waiting for the day
I’ll tell her it’s safe to come back.
-
Author:
Rhonda Elliott (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: December 25th, 2024 06:49
- Comment from author about the poem: Self preservation
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 21
- Users favorite of this poem: sorenbarrett, TobaniNataiella, Aurora1
Offline)
Comments3
A poem of innocence a and how it has to change to protect itself, how softness is covered with calluses but underneath there lies the same sensitive nerves. Worded so poetically this poem captured my heart
Sounds like see needs a big brother, or sugar Daddy to look after her.
A touching poem which comes across to me as someone who has suffered a lot, but in order to protect that innocent one they have created another persona to put the mask, Very moving poem, very well written
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