Hope

When we talked today it didn't hurt as much.
I can do this.
When you stopped I didn't care as much.
I can do this.

Hope blooms in my chest.
It is a tiny flower waiting to be watered and cared for.
But I must be careful, for it is a fragile thing.
Words and thoughts have the power to crush it.
I must not let it hear the scared whispers in my mind.
I must shelter it from the deadly storm that is you.
I need to keep it safe until it can grow into something real.
I cannot lose it.

Please don't come and take it from me.
I need to stay away from you for a while.
It is not strong enough to be near you yet.

Let me keep it.
It's a pretty little thing.