I’ve mapped out
your studious role
as protector -
the adult I needed
when my child self
could not admit
I was unsafe.
It’s been a decade
since I’ve seen you
in those halls,
yet it’s only been
in the last year
you've reminded me,
what safety looks like -
soothing colors
warming the arctic,
bringing my mind back
from the darkest depths.
You aid my sleep
when I need it
the most,
always on the days
when depression
stalks my shadow,
when I fear the night
will swallow me
