THE ONE WHO FEARS LOVE

There lives a woman in me fearing love,

She walks like dusk afraid of coming night,

Her heart moves slow, like glass afraid to fall.

She longs to speak, like rain on shuttered doors,

But silence grips her throat like winter hands,

Old wounds lie sharp, like stones beneath her feet.

She tries to guide me through my breaking days,

I pull away like ash from living fire,

Loss whispers loud, like bells before a fall.

I hate her when she mirrors all my cracks,

I strike her down like waves on wounded shores,

My words cut deep, like rusted hidden blades.

Still, she remains like roots beneath dead land,

She holds my nights like stars hold broken dark,

Her hope stays thin, like smoke that will not fade.

I am no winner, yet she dreams of one,

She fears love still, like birds fear open skies,

Yet never lets that fear become goodbye.

She asks for little-just a borrowed smile,

A breath of faith, like dawn on wounded eyes,

No crowns, no praise, no promise spoken loud.

I rarely thank the one who stays this way,

She is the gift I fight yet cannot lose,

She shares my lows like shadows share the ground.

So hear this, dear ,not all who fear love fail,

Some carry it like glass through crowded storms,

Still choosing not to drop what cuts them most.

Know this, world: some souls love silently,

They stay, like shadows faithful to the ground,

And win by never turning pain to hate.