Waling the Desert Sands – A Poem

When we found each other,

I had been wandering the desert

for far too long.

My skin had become chapped

by the wind that whipped

around me,

a barrier built by hate

from others who didn’t care

to understand me

and from myself,

all their words turned inward

against me.

When I saw you for the first time,

your face visible through the wind

I thought it was some kind of mirage,

or that you were a spirit come to find me

so that the sand could finally take me.

Your face became clearer,

sharper,

more focused until

I had to admit that you were real.

When your hand found mine,

your eyes were so close to my own and you

saw into me,

took in all that I was,

and you did not turn away.

When you pulled gently,

I almost fought against you,

afraid that when you saw the real me,

made bare by the desert sand that had sliced  

against my skin.

My flesh was raw from the hurt,

but still you saw me as I was,

not as you wanted me to be.

I was able to let the wind go

when you took my hand

because I had found a place to belong.

With my hand in yours,

walking towards a future with you,

I knew that I could leave the desert

behind me.