All This Time

After all this time, I could not have guessed
It would be my courage to take me by surprise
It was so good to see you well
And it’s so good to see me, now

An unfamiliar identity
Newly stitched up and soothed by
Tender hands and merciful empathy
So sweet is the scent of fresh cut freesias and lavender oil
But sometimes taking accountability and
Carefully carving space for healing
Are acts of self-care that hold us with the most compassion

This new skin I have found myself in-
Vibrant, supple; harmoniously foreign and innate
Not quite what I expected to feel by reconnecting
With a kindred soul after all these years
Though seventeen lunar cycles have come and gone bringing
Waves of change for the two of us,
A generous heart remains the same

Meeting now, again, after peeling
Back our insulating husks
We’ve revealed only mirrors to expose
The delicate rawness of us
Sometimes deconstructing crumbling brick walls, feebly stacked
By weakened hands to safeguard a hollowed heart
Is the most significant act of love that we can grant ourselves

After all this time, I could not have guessed
It would be my curiosity to mend this heart of mine
It was so good to see you well
And it feels so good to see me, now