Soft Eyes, Strong Boundaries

It took me years

To loosen my grip

On the stories I wrote in my mind

All the love I imagined

All the people I dressed in grace

Because I wanted to see the best in them

I held onto versions of relationships

That only lived in my spirit

Not in the way they touched me back

Even family

Was not the sanctuary I once believed it to be

The veil lifted

Slow like sunrise on a blissful morning

And my heart

Tired but triumphant

Walked itself into freedom

Now I know this truth:

The greatest injustice

I could ever do to myself

Is to hand over my peace

To people who have not earned

A seat at my soul's table

So today

With soft strength

And eyes still searching for the good

I keep my peace wrapped tight

A sacred thing

No longer surrendered

Only shared where love is real and reciprocal