Fortify

I thought I was tough—
And I was—until he
Walked into my life and robbed me of my
Armour. He did it
Slowly,
Gently;
Took it all away,
Piece by unpierceable piece—
Till there was nothing left, and I was
Defenseless.

And now I sit here, writing sad poetry
Because I have to rebuild my walls,
Reforge my armour, and all the while
There is a part of me that likes this.
Likes this life of openness and feelings and—

And so I remind myself, remind myself of how much I
Hate vulnerability, how much I
Hate being seen as soft,

I remind myself of how much it
Hurts.
And I tell myself that I will
Never let myself fall to this level again,
I will never let myself be robbed again,
I will reforge my armour and weld it to myself
And this will never happen
Never
Ever
Again.