Behind the Storm

In the world’s glare, you wear a storm,
A tempest in flesh, a soul yet untorn.
To them, your words cut sharp like stone,
A fortress of fire, fierce and alone.

But here with me, your tempest subsides,
A softer tide beneath rough tides.
Your voice, once thunder, now whispers low,
A warmth you allow where few may go.

Why, I wonder, this dance of disguise?
This mask of steel, this shield in your eyes?
To others, you’re strict, a figure of fear,
Yet with me, you’re tender, your heart laid clear.

Do they not see, or do you not show,
The rivers of kindness that secretly flow?
Perhaps it’s my gaze, undeterred, unshaken,
That sees the truth where others are forsaken.

A paradox lives where your shadow walks,
A symphony clashing in silent talks.
Rude to the world, yet calm in my light,
A battle within, neither wrong nor right.

What pain do you carry, what wars have you fought,
To build such walls, with such care wrought?
Yet here in my presence, the armor cracks,
And I see the boy behind the acts.

Oh, if the world could glimpse your soul,
The fragile threads that make you whole,
They’d see the beauty in your fight,
The quiet love you gift in my sight.

So let them judge, let them misconstrue,
For I know the heart that beats in you.
To me, you're a secret, a mystery profound,
A tempest stilled when I’m around.