When the cracks began to show, I knew
true love was taking hold.

She was trying so hard not to cry.
I could tell by the way a voice breaks
when one tries to hold everything inside
because if they let go even the littlest bit,
the emotion is going to explode outward

and I was so happy when she did let it out,
not because I enjoyed the tears
but because the pain I felt seeing them
was actually my opportunity to love her
in all the ways the world had failed her.

She found enough courage and strength to lead me
into her own mires of wounds
still oozing blood,
speaking of the villains who had ravaged
her sense of self-confidence and love.

She exposed devils who had sliced her open
and she brought me before them,
all the anxieties she collected over the years.
I met them with an open mind
as well as a heart ready to receive her.

I faced those demons, sword drawn,
a voice of compassion and empathy
because I recognized her as a girl
so deserving of all the graces
of being truly loved.

Such vulnerability requires immense trust,
to bet all hopes and dreams
that the listener won’t give a poor reaction.
The fact that she found this place of comfortable discomfort
speaks so much about how she feels about me.

The most beautiful part is that it’s mutual.
My own demons came knocking one day
and she saw through my shattered interior
to bring the true me out on the other side.
We both desire the best for each other.

This is the way love is supposed to be,
not just in a romantic setting
but across every relationship we hold
with the people we truly care about.
We’re meant to let supportive people in.

If we don’t, we become our own implosions
because we end up with nothing inside
to hold us together.
She trusts me to do that for her
and thus, I can trust she will do it for me.

Love took hold in those moments where
we exposed and saw past each others’ flaws.
Never before have I felt so strongly
about a relationship at the onset
as I do with this special girl by my side.

Thus, I can’t help but dream
about how much such a promising future can hold.