Heart Shaped Box

If I build a box around my heart will I feel safe

I imagine the box as dark brown wood with intricate carvings – patterns

Warm to the touch and readable

A substance that breathes and moves

At times to swell and make room for love

At times to toughen up and protect me from dangers

It takes work, building a shelter

One huff and a puff and it all falls down

I do not want that to happen (again)

Sometimes – in the walls outside my body – I can find comfort

I find myself in my chair, quietly reading, looking at the sky outside the window

Other times it feels like fight-flight-freeze –

The world is too loud, too busy but also empty to me

Mostly I find comfort within myself (when I can) –

Inside is my true home and shelter

It has always kept me safe – alive

I trust it will continue to keep me safe

Perhaps even grow like the strongest, shiny acorn

Tumbling onto a carpet of green ready for another to retrieve –

To find their own heart-shaped box and grow it into a sanctuary fit for a queen.