sometimes
you need to

take a step back

don’t overreact
don’t make assumptions
don’t jump conclusions

take a step back
reflect on the whole
the beauty
the serenity
that surrounds

don’t second guess
what the future might hold
unless you’ve passed
the soothsayer test

there was no detection
of disillusionment
her image
concealed a collection
of rejections

an invisible wall of protection
like a suit of sheathing armor
shielding from injury

her heart
only taking so much
in disappointment

she a work
of complexities
views her imperfections
as

she had a story
to tell
the words were lost
evaporated
absorbed by the universe
promising
never
to reveal
her secrets
of the heart
that had bled
that had shed
so many tears
she
never showed
never shared
she