The Thaw

I did not break all at once. I eroded over time. A little more of me given away. A little less of me called mine. I poured until the riverbed Was cracked beneath my feet. Fed every thirsty mouth around me While I forgot to drink. I called it love. I called it duty. Called it strength to disappear. But a man can starve while serving others And still look faithful in the mirror. Then came the day that split the ground. The kind you never see. When every mask falls to the earth And truth demands to breathe. I saw who reached. I saw who ran. I saw who needed me small. I saw who loved the bleeding man... Not the man at all. Revelation carries mercy Even when it cuts you through. Because a crisis always tells you Who was standing next to you. Let the thaw begin. Let the waters rise. Let the truth run clean Through the ruins and the lies. Wash away the fear. Wash away the shame. If they showed me who they are... I don't have to stay the same. Let the thaw begin. So I'm learning love from distance. Not revenge. Not hate. Just holy room for healing... Without reopening the gate. I can bless without permission. I can grieve without the chains. I can pray that mercy finds them... While I walk beyond the rain. Not every hand belongs near healing. Not every voice deserves my ear. Some people teach you boundaries... By becoming what you fear. Lord, thaw what I froze to survive. Loose what I buried alive. Wash off every fingerprint Left by every false demand. Give me back the shattered pieces I kept placing in their hands. Teach me mercy without surrender. Teach me peace without denial. Teach me how to love from far away... And still remain Your child. LET... IT... FLOW! NO MORE HIDING! NO MORE FEAR! NO MORE CHAINS! IF WINTER HAD ITS SEASON... SPRING HAS COME! The thaw is not collapse. The thaw is release. Life returns where death once lived. And the river keeps running... Without me looking back..