Revealed and Accepted All the Same

There's a longing deep and profound within me. It's a hunger, a hurting so deep words can scarcely be put to it. If they could, I would dare not utter their sound for fear my delicate facade would rend like a butterfly wing, leaving me venerable and without escape.

This longing haunts me, in a way. It lies in bed with me every night, offering no comfort, allowing no contented rest. It curls up in the half-empty space of night, prodding my thoughts, reminding me of the cold winter, of the lonely past, of the uncertain future.

It's a longing to be known, to be understood. More than that, it is a hunger to be affirmed. Seen and welcomed; revealed and accepted all the same.

This is a consuming desire and an engulfing fear.

So my facade is built, strong, decided, distracting.

But it's tearing.

Without wings I cannot fly away. With them, I won't stay long enough to discover.

There are no words.