Letting go

There were always arms,

arms to run into,

to envelop you and shield you.

Arms to defend you and comfort you.

You don’t notice

 when they start to get weaker

 because you just fold into them further. 

Your don’t see them fade 

because you're safe

and your  eyes 

are always closed. 

You don't feel the strength 

that is draining from them

 because you compensate,

 ignore it and weld it

 to your own. 

Then when it is all your strength,

 and all your silence, 

except for distant sobbing, 

only do you open your eyes

 and see there are no arms

 holding you at all. 

Then you can’t remember 

if they were ever there,

Or what they felt like.

It is a loneliness

 you always carry, 

but you keep it

 hidden and buried.

January 2024

Image: OpenClipart-Vectors