I thought I knew what love was

I used to think that love meant being a protector, A shield against the world, both fierce and colder, To guard you from the storms, the cuts, the tears, To keep you from the weight of all my silent fears. I thought that love was standing in the way, A wall between you and the world’s harsh sway, That my strength would lift the burden from your heart, And keep you safe, from every tear, from every part. But now I see, in quiet, painful light, That in my grasping to shield you from the fight, I built a cage around us both, unseen, Hiding truths that should have lived between. I thought I was protecting you from pain, But in my silence, I invited strain. Not shielding you, but keeping you away From knowing what I’d carried every day. Love isn’t just a fortress, cold and tall, But letting you in, to feel, to see it all. I see now: true love isn’t just to fight, But to stand together, through the dark and light.