We Decided To Be Brave

there are things we were not supposed to say.
words like "intimacy" and "unconditional" and "open"
words that stung our tongues when we let them out
from between our lips, somebody told us
when we were little that love was a fairy tale
and we were never allowed to write it down.
there are things we were not supposed to say.

but we decided to be brave.
we were taught to guard our chests
with adamant and hard chain mail, we were taught
to fear love and hide our soft skin under branches
and behind rocks. we were taught to run away
before our lovers ran first. we were taught
to hate and to hurt and to punish.

but we decided to be brave.
because there were moments when the light changed
moments when we saw each other's eyes for the first time
in weeks, when we stopped looking and started seeing
vines and flowers growing from our irises and we blossomed
into a twined mess of thorns with blooms in brilliant shades
we were never perfect. lattice could not hold us.

but we decided to be brave.
we decided to start peeling the layers back
and to be gentle with ourselves and with each other, because
shifting your weight can be terrifying sometimes
but we were there to balance each other's scales
we had both been burned by dragon's breath
and we were afraid of our new love sprouting wings
and flying away with all of the gold we had stored up
we had nightmares of losing each other

but we decided to be brave.
and we moved each other's feet forward when we stumbled
and we nursed each other's wounds when we wept
and we held each other through storms and shadowed nights
and we forgot to hold our tongues and we forgot
to guard our chests, and each day that we woke up together
we became a little bit less afraid.

we decided to be brave
because loving ourselves was easier with help
and someone to show you how. we decided
to be brave because our reflection was too beautiful
when we stood side by side, and we could not
stop looking in the mirror. we decided to be brave
because something deep inside each of us clicked.

we decided to be brave.
and the day we did was the day the sun came out.
we have been basking in its warmth ever since.
and our days will not always be bright, but we
will spend them in each other's arms.
we will watch our children grow
we will hold each other's hands
we will heal and learn and love
we will love so much that we cannot take it
and every day that we can,
we will be brave
together.