Iron Gate

I see you.

I see you standing there, staring up at my iron gate—rusted and worn from the years before. Broken locks and high walls conceal a chaos within—built over 28 years and a reputation for being impenetrable.

I see you.

I see you examining each deadbolt, tinkering with their gears to find a way in. Every time you fix a broken piece, the walls shake and the earth beneath your feet trembles, warning you to stop.

I see you.

I see you, unaware of the battle behind the gate—my mind with the upper hand, pushing my heart into the shattered pieces that now litter the ground. My heart, clawing and digging her way to you, in hopes that she will finally be free.

I feel you.

I feel you sitting next to me—your eyes examining the curve of my lips and the furrow of my brow as I stare into the distance, the unseen battle taking my body hostage. You grab my hand and gently smile, offering your love.

A lock twists open as my heart stops fighting, enveloping my mind in a gentle caress.

One by one, the deadbolts unlock as I sink deeper into you—terrified, yet relieved that you may finally see the brokenness.

I see you step inside the walls, observing the chaos within. The battle ceases as we wait—for the judgment, for the run. We wait to see if you will walk back out our walls and shut the gate behind you, leaving us to continue our battle unseen and unheard.

I feel your hands gently grasp my face as you pull me in—holding me tight.

You see me.

You see me as you sweep up my shattered pieces, gluing them back together with your love. You see all that I am, all that I was, and all that I will be.

You see us.