Poetic Embraces

Today

As the day unfolds, she sits with her arms embraced
Gently comforting herself, as no one else could or would--
Abandoned she had been for too long, lonely and unlovable,
Yet each morning as the sun rose, she raised her eyes and prayed
That today would be the day, the day she would escape her past
And run into the moment, avoiding the future and its fearful song
While leaving the past to the ghosts that haunted her waking mind.

Inside a prison no one could see, she felt the drip of rain,
The promise that something would grow from the ashes
Left behind with each hurt, each scar, each missing emotion--
For she dared not show vulnerability as this would be weakness
A sign that she was as unworthy as they had said, had drilled into her.
But today, today is the day she gazes into the mirror to see for herself--
What, she wondered, would she see: a scared little girl or a grown woman?

Whose voice would she hear if she spoke, allowing herself to be heard?
What hand would she wear her ring on, the left or the right?
Who would walk beside her, or would she walk behind a man
That didn't respect her newly found voice and her desire to be loved.
Would laughter fill the air as she breathed deeply in the enchanted
Moment that only today offered, leaving the mystery of tomorrow and
The shame of yesterday to fall on deaf ears as she rejoiced in deception.