Shelter Through the Storm

A poem about unconditional love for National Poetry Month

Image: Ardian Pranomo via Unsplash+

For day sixteen of the National Poetry Month challenge hosted by

V. Walker | Poet

, the task was to play “The Reverse Poetry Game,” in which the final line is given to the writer, but the rest must be written.

If there’s one thing you take away from this poem, let it be this: everyone deserves unconditional love, and it should never come with a cost.

Please enjoy.

---

I walk this Earth with a heavy burden. 
Unable to ever speak or get a word in. 
As she screeches my name into the ether, 
convinced that I am somehow beneath her. 

It wasn’t enough to leave scars people can’t see. 
You had to continue your relentless killing spree. 
You took the one thing I could never get back. 
Convincing me all along, there’s something I lack.

You knew my demons, yet you sated their thirst. 
Handed them the bottle when you knew I was cursed. 
You tossed me aside when your work was through. 
Yet you're shocked when I refuse to talk to you. 

I applaud the vivid nature of your mask. 
Fooling me must have been quite the task. 
I’ve learned now how to draw that boundary.
My resolve is stronger than a steel foundry. 

Your heart is encased in ice. 
Nothing but my defeat will suffice. 
But you fail to see that I’ve already won. 
I’m free, and my story has just begun. 

You take after both our mothers, so filled with spite. 
You don’t know how to forgive, only how to fight.
Instead of trying to break myself, I just wish I knew
that I would never be good enough for any of you. 

It doesn’t matter, because now I know. 
I’ve grown despite the wind, rain, and snow. 
I found someone who holds unconditional love for me. 
The kind of person that you could never hope to be. 

In her arms, I find shelter from this endless storm. 
She doesn’t ask for payment or demand that I perform. 
There’s no price to pay for the comfort of her love. 
She has saved me, like an angel sent from above. 

I was a husk, desperate to keep my flame alive. 
She was a nomadic soul, seeking a place to thrive. 
She told me she wouldn’t leave my side during the storm,   
and I told her that I can be the flame that keeps you warm.

---

Thank you for Reading! Here’s Your Musical Pairing

Listen to this after reading, and never settle for less than what you deserve.