My Candid Heart

My candid heart is a defenseless land,

Where my best intentions fail to stand.

While I would offer up my soul's pure gold,

I’m met with doubts, and judgment cold.

I only watch, I teach, I love, I guide,

To build a bridge with honesty inside,

But in this roaring world, my voice is drowned,

And heavy ruins crush me to the ground.

For kindness is a shield too thin to wear,

A stray remark can strip my spirit bare.

When someone blindly treads into the mire,

They cannot see my soul's consuming fire.

They take a step, move on, and never know

How deep their careless words have struck the blow,

That on the threads of speech I left my heart,

While in my sanctuary, worlds fall apart.

The twisted blame that labels me perverse

Throbs in my aching brow, a silent curse,

When the deepest secrets of the art I make

Are sold out cheaply for a vulgar sake.

For I write life, its pulse, its raw desire,

The flesh, the longing, and the sacred fire—

But when they drag it through a shameful mud,

Their blind misunderstanding draws my blood.

I feel right now it’s best to hold my peace,

To lock the castle gates, to find release,

To keep my inner fire tucked away,

And bear no accidental scars today.

For goodness hurts when there is no defense,

My care cuts back at me with weight immense,

And I am left to bear the heaviest part,

Because I open up a completely honest heart.

Yet still I know, my glass of fading light

Is full, although it cracked within the night.

This sensitivity is not a flaw,

It keeps my spirit living, wild and raw.

I let it bleed, but know I’m not to blame,

The storm will pass, the blank page stays the same—

For if I feel too deep, I bleed the same,

But in my hands, the truth receives its name.

Arden Tomas 🏳️‍🌈

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