How I Fell

I’m not sure when I saw her first

Before I fell or after,

Before, I was a blind man stumbling

After, I still stumbled but I saw

And not just her but everything.

She didn’t just reflect the light

But bent its beams to her will

Turning grey into vivid colour

Chasing shadows from my withered soul.

It became too much for me to bear

And I collapsed in terror at the brightness

Huddling in a trembling ball.

After I saw her then,

But before she picked me up

With gentle hands, full of strength

Lifting me with ease.

Closer she was awe-inspiring

And stutter inducing to,

I blushed, a thing I rarely do

But she smiled at my discomfort

And my lungs began to breathe.

My garbled words were not enough to even say hello,

But she had patience

So much it must have been earned

Through endeavour or toil of time

Spent caring or listening to more than fools

That she found collapsed at her feet.

Before I would have run,

Fast and loping

Seeking to hide from a gaze such as hers,

A penetrating search

Like a torch behind the eyes,

But she gripped my arm and held me close

And drew out all my secrets.

Fear engulfed this wretched man

Hoping that she wouldn’t see

What I am but what I wanted to be.

What she found

I still don’t know

But she took my hand

And still holds on.

I was wrong,

There was no time before

And I didn’t fall but rose

The day she found me

Crumpled on the floor.