A rock, or an anchor?
Strong arms in my life; a rock, or an anchor?
We stand together, chatting amongst his friends, and
His arm encircles my waist, grabbing tightly.
Strong, assertive; my protector—
He will never let anyone near enough to hurt me.
Meekly, I stand beside him.
I have my opinions,
As long as they mirror his.
I go where I want,
As long as he’s with me.
He keeps me safe
From myself as well as others—
We both know how my mouth can get away from me;
Wouldn’t want to embarrass us.
I let him do the talking, the deciding.
One day I wake up in his bed
In his house
Surrounded by his family;
His life.
Where has my life gone? My hope and dreams?
I thought I was making sacrifices for us
It didn’t go both ways.
I pound on his chest, beg to know
Why? Why has he isolated me from the world, from myself?
He holds me still, looks into my eyes.
My heart races.
“Can’t you see?” He says,
“It’s because I love you.”
I let him pull me close,
And pull me deeper into his abyss.
A different day, years later
A different girl
Chats amongst her friends.
Distant is the memory of the boy who tried to steal her life away,
But not forgotten.
A different boy
Has his arm around her;
Fingers loose on her waist,
A gentle reminder of his support.
She has her own opinions,
And she’s not afraid to voice them;
A disagreement could never break them apart.
She goes where she pleases;
He trusts her judgement.
She is unafraid of the world
Because she knows he’s got her back.
She chases her dreams with passion;
He takes pride in her ambition.
One day she wakes up,
Hair messy, breath stale,
Rolls over and strokes his cheek.
Moved by her own comfort in his arms
And his unyielding encouragement,
Her heart swells, and a tear wells in her eye.
He holds her tight, opens his eyes, asks
What’s wrong?
She smiles because nothing is wrong,
Everything is right.
“Why do you treat me so wonderfully?” she whispers.
He caresses her face, kisses her gently,
His eyes overflow with admiration.
“Because I love you.”
These steady arms lift me high.