The Cloak

Draped around my shoulders,

Fastened at my neck,

I wear a cloak.

A dark forest green cloak

Adorned with maple leaves

Pinecones and clover

And a tree with long slender branches

All made of delicate silver.

I wear dark green

So that others see about me

What I want them to see.

My favorite traits about myself.

Nature.

Resilience.

Balance.

Adventure.

Growth.

But while to everyone,

My cloak is green,

It is green

Only on the outside.

The inside of the cloak

Shows a rainbow patchwork,

Swatches of colorful fabrics,

New lessons and attributes

Collected over the years.

A deep brown patch from my mother’s cloak.

Dependability.

Strength.

Home.

From my brother, bright orange.

Youth.

Energy.

Fun.

And from my childhood best friend

A patch of pale yellow.

Friendship.

Happiness.

Promises.

Then there’s the tattered swatch

Of midnight blue

Stitched over one

Of faded red.

A memory of my college girlfriend.

Love.

Grief.

Independence.

Loss.

Hundreds more stitched

To the lining of my cloak,

A rainbow mosaic of individual pieces

Beneath a cloak of forest green.

That remind me who I am

And how I have come to be.