She Who Must Be Loved

You were so young when he came for you--

Too young to understand what darkness meant;

You thought your nightlight and teddy bear were all the army you needed to guard you while you slept.

And though I was fire by night and cloud by day, ready to bring you to promise,

you chose exile.

But child, your story was yet to be sung.

He taught you what it was to quake

To sit so still you couldn’t shake your weary soul awake

Feet beating faster than your heart drew near, drawing fear from every pore

Muscles tightened, you bolted up like lightening shooting the sky,

Such wide eyes

My, what sharp claws he had.

Hands around your neck,

They were cold enough to burn through your very skin

and to ignite the spark of terror, the silent gunman triggering every fire alarm in the house

He showed you fear so sharp it made breaths look like needles

Don’t take one

Hold still, this is going to hurt.

Red like your blood,

White like your innocence, that sly fox wove his coat to look like mine

But he is not of Me. I am not of him. His den was deep, deep within the earth

And looking for new birth, you began to dig. He had a plan for you,

To travel

But your journey was to Me

Further up and further in,

he called you, oh so sweetly toward the depths that lay beneath.

By firelight you saw one night that vixen’s vile teeth. His smile, still so charming,

‘til you looked beneath the fur and glimpsed the claws you knew so well.

Cold razors.

They wouldn’t hold you again.

Eyes now open, ears to hear,

I called you—follow. My world is upside down, so dig as you may,

the farther you run, the closer you’ll find yourself. Reach down one last time,

Push away the earth to find me. Fingers reaching heavenward like roots,

Or like leaves;

Grow child, climb.

Arms strong from tunneling,

Pull yourself up onto emerald fields and be free, breathe.

Dance like a kit in the grass. You are safe here. Behold, I make all things new.

Look up toward the sky. Open wide. I will fish out all of the dark in you.

Cast it away.

You are new, daughter of light.

So follow, beautiful one. There is a world to see and much work to be done.