Fragile Face

A poem for the wounded inner child

There lives within me
the fragile face of a child
who, glimpsing from behind
his wall of safety,
dares to believe
he might be safe.
That he might emerge.

Inside, he longs to join the world—
to feel the room’s warmth,
to move freely
among kind faces.
He longs to smile with abandon,
to be held,
to close his eyes
and finally rest.

And in moments of boldness,
when time’s balm softens
his vigilant heart,
when the need to be loved
outweighs the fear of being forgotten,
he steps into the light
and lets himself be seen.

And in that space—
the light blinding and unfamiliar,
the sounds and shapes
once softened by walls
now brilliant in their clarity—
he sees what he had only hoped for:
connection, belonging,
splendor.

And yet,
something primal within bids him retreat,
sensing danger afoot,
perceiving threat in the shadows,
anticipating suffering,
bracing for pain.

And so he does.