Reflections
When I was young, I met a boy
Whose laughter filled my heart with joy
But time went on and he became
Displeased with all he sought to gain
A monster clothed in human form
I tried to keep from giving harm
I tried to keep the vision clear
Of him I loved and held so dear
But some wounds go too deep to heal
And soon the truth was unconcealed
No matter what I tried to see
Life with him was not to be
Love had turned to vengeful hate
Day by day it would escalate
Until angry words and raised hand
Would cause me to avoid the man
Who gave me cause to flinch and hide
And doubt myself deep down inside
The violence born would never cease
So I escaped to find some peace
A few years passed... I met a man
Who offered me a loving hand
I trusted once again my heart
And we were never far apart
His voice was soft and laughter warm
His arms would keep me safe from harm
His eyes would shine with pure delight
Whenever I was in his sight
Content was I to be so loved
I gave thanks to every god above
Too soon he left, I learned to grieve
My broken heart could find no peace
I railed against the fates that took
His life away and closed the book
Too soon he was beyond my reach
I tried to keep what he did teach
About the way that love could be
When souls were taught to be set free
But when he left I was alone
My heart again was turned to stone
The years went by, I then believed
To live alone with simple needs
Was all that I would ever know
I did not want to ever show
My heart again to have it break
The risk was more than I could take
And so I lived as I'd begun
I dreamed no dreams when day was done
I was content to be alone
To keep myself encased in stone
Where no one touched me very deep
Safe within my lonely Keep
Until one night in early Spring
When someone coaxed my soul to sing
A man entreated me to chance
My heart again and join his dance
With cautious steps I followed him
And tried to trust my heart again
The ways of love he taught to me
Seem simple things to those more free
So for a space of time I thought
I'd found the love I'd always sought
But time went by, again I learned
That love for me was meant to burn
The joy of someone loving me
Is something never meant to be
And tender words that lovers hear
Were never meant for homely ears
Once more alone I face the days
Again berift of loving ways
So now I sit in deepest thought
And ponder over what's been taught
The things I've learned I learned from loss
The game is never worth the cost
The wholeness lovers have in kind
Is not my lot in life to find
I am not meant to feel the glow
The joys that only lovers know
A glimpse is all that I have seen
Of how my life once could have been
A heart will harden given time
And ties that were once meant to bind
Will fade and pass when pain subsides
And once again I'll learn to hide
And build the walls back brick by brick
But this time make them twice as thick
So no one sees the real me
They'll see just what they're meant to see
A woman hard and tough and strong
Who really looks like she belongs
An act that's easy to sustain
When no one looks too deep for pain
A careless laugh, a flippant taunt
Will keep at bay the ones who want
To pass beyond the outer reach
Who only want to say they breached
The walls that are to keep them out
The challenge is without a doubt
The only thing they see in me
And once they're done, they turn to leave
Please may I never try again
To be what I have never been
O, let my walls remain unbreached
And let my heart stay out of reach
For what is left when hearts are risked
Is fragile and as thin as bisque
