Sandcastle

My Castle Fell,

My Fortress of Self-Assuredness

Built from my pain of Victimhood

and Powerlessness

My Castle, the only comfort

of familiar Isolation and

Ingrained shame,

Fell!

So I dug a hole

In the dirt

Amidst the rubble

Grieving

Hiding

But not in despair

My Castle Fell

But I've been here before

As the dirt hides itself under my fingernails

It tells me I'm not the first one to dig

In the dark

My grief no longer buried

I sat with it

Knowing I won't be staying

In that castle

Or in this hole

I have built before

I'll do it again

My castle fell

And in the rubble

I find truth

After truth

Brick

After brick

Some truths are no longer

Like a brick that's too pitted

Or misshapen

Others are still true

But I wonder how long they'll last

As I build a short wall

Protecting

My Heart

In my hole

I find, not fortified truths,

But caged things,

Shadows in the Dark

Fire-breathing Dragons

Elusive Shapeshifters

Master Manipulating Witches

and Instinct-driven Beasts

I visit the shadows:

My Earth-Child nature, while

My short wall of

Temporary Truths

Crumbles,

I consult the shadow-beings

The shadows are love, after all:

Dragons for protection

Shapeshifters to keep me hidden

Manipulation for my helplessness

Beastly instinct for my survival

My Castle Fell

But it was a prison

Where my heart was buried

Before I could be reborn

Where I watched the world

From the highest tower

Gathering experiences

Gathering perspectives

Gathering patterns

Gathering desires

My Watchtower Fell

It was never meant

To be a

Fortress

It was meant

To fall

To free me

So I put the bricks down

The old truths are no longer true

I join hands

With my Demons

I walk out

My Watchtower Fell

I am Free