Shatter

And the guard falls

You take off your confidence

Hang it by the door

Leave your pride by the rack

Your composure it falls of your shoulders

And one by one the pieces of your armor

You painstakingly glued together this morning

Start to crack.

But thankfully it wasn't too late

You never are.

You always make it in time

You know you can't

Let your armor fall outside the gates

For weakness is not an option

Failure afforded to those who don't have 
the weight of the world on their shoulders

You're not allowed to take deep breaths

Lest the brittle ribs cave in on you.

So you tread on egg shells

One shallow breath at a time

A stranger in your own skin

Pretending its bullet proof

To let their words ricochet

Absorb the pain but don’t dare flinch

For they will see the weakness within

Just one more step

Cross the threshold

Fill your lungs as soon as the bolt is in place

Let that deep breath out

And shatter darling.

So when morning comes

You put yourself together

Sew it all back with that hair thin thread

Of hope that lingers within your soul

Put the composure back on your shoulders

Slip your pride on your feet

One step after another

Tomorrow's another day

Another obstacle you must defeat.

TeeJay Khan©