You Loved Me Back to Life

& I never want to forget the look in your eyes.

There were days I swore I was fading,

slipping through the cracks unseen.

A ghost inside my own reflection,

a whisper lost beneath the scream.

But you…

you saw me still.

*

When my voice was raw from silence,

when my body bore the weight of grief,

when I swore I was too far gone,

you held on with quiet belief.

You never pushed to pull me upward,

never forced my heart to mend.

You simply sat beside my shadows,

whispering, love, I’ll see you again.

*

You saw me when I felt like nothing,

when I swore I’d disappeared.

You never flinched, you never wavered,

you just stayed, you stayed right here.

And now, somehow, I am still standing,

still breathing in the space you filled.

Not whole, not weightless, not unbroken,

but seen, and known,

you see me still.

Happy 10th Valentines Day, R.

I believe that your fervent belief that I was going to survive is primarily why I survived. Here’s to the next 10 - may they break our hearts and our bodies less, and may the bring us more joy, love and laughter.

Forever yours, A