In the shadow

And when you're basking in that light

and all your good features shine

All the darkness is out of sight

Because that light is so divine

The real is hidden in the shadows

That people don't look close enough to see

The real you that no one but you knows

The real you, who you feel you can't just be

Then someone comes along

and looks at you just right

Seeing all the weak and strong

and all the dark and bright

They tell you they love you, enough that it shows

They open your heart to the way they see

that even in the shadows 

Lies a beautiful me.  

*******

Today I wanted to share a poem I wrote about Steve finding beauty in my shadows.  It's a new thing for me to share poems, even though I write a few a week.  As a kid I wrote them all the time, and would beam with joy when my mom would get them published.  Somewhere along the way I allowed people to convince me that I wasn't good enough to write poems.  

I'm sharing this because it makes me vulnerable, and in order to keep growing and expanding, I need to keep sharing.  Stay open, stay raw, stay me.  

Also, sharing this because I took a photo in my garden that immediately reminded me of this poem, so i'll leave you with this, and the photo.