for the First Time in Some time

Her flowers have been closed for some time now, their petals pressed tightly together, the life drained from their veins, the sun closed off and shunned.

The black soil beneath her has taken from her the light and speared her happiness like rose thorns through her heart.

But in little pockets frozen in time, she slowly feels again, each memory stirring the life back inside of her,

Her shy flowers slowly unfurling their petals. And one day, when all is good and right, her petals will extend towards the beautiful sun, and her soul will flourish.

She will breathe

for the first time in some time

and sigh with the lightness in her heart.

The darkness will leave her eyes,

her shoulders,

her breath,

and her stitched-up smile will once again crease her cheeks with bliss.

She will thaw, feel, and live with the love that had deserted her.

The quieted blooms will emerge from her open palms and swath her in their sweetness.

Her sighs will escape her lips and expel the dark,

Soon, the garden will bud open with lush blooms, the listless surface vanishing beneath the layer of pastel pinks and purples because when she sees the clouds part above the cerulean sky, the sun’s beams so long sheltered will graze her arms, her hands, and her heart.

She will no longer have to hide to bury her demons, for they will have dissipated into the sweet, warm summer air.

She is alive again.