Dissolve

Slowly cracking away all the outer layers. She has a hard shell but is that from strength or survival? Maybe the survival has made her strong. But, at her core there is softness, vibrance, warmth. What happens if that outer shell only gets thicker? Does the core become smaller? She presumes not. Maybe just more compact, more constrained, more desperate for an opening to express. 

Oh how to dissolve. How to break down what's become so calloused over time. Not completely, no. But enough to access her heart seamlessly. It's all within. She’s felt it before, and in the small quiet moments she still can. The glitter swirles, there is light, there is hope, as she drifts off for the night. Only waking to find the armored frame once more.

As a wave upon a shore, swelling then sinking. From the sand, when the ocean retreats it seems there is more water in one place. Concentrated, thick, deep, dark, powerful, mysterious, guarded. But the beauty is in the high tide. When the waves thin and the clear water returns, so does life.  Waist deep in red strings, she can find the shimmering scales swirling around. Unbothered or even welcoming her company. A gentle collective. A peace washes over. Her gaze softens. She does not have to be alert and she certainly is not alone. It's as if the sweet salt melts away what she has been carrying for oh so long. Light and free and feminine, lifted by the ups and grounded by the downs. No longer tortured by the tide.

A small scene from her heart's center. Sometimes oceans, others mountains, and often quiet cozy cuddled evenings fireside. Meanwhile the exterior remains. Resolute, steadfast, never stoic, but still strong. Carrying her through from one day to the next and the next. Navigating the balance between battle and beauty, secretly rooting for the latter.