Locks

Locks,
So many surround my heart,
I am beginning to wonder if there ever was a time it wasn’t caged,
Locks,
Of various shapes and sizes,
Rusty, ornate, but a lock just the same,
Locks,
I have forgotten the combination of most,
Their permanence a comfort,
Locks,
So tightly wound, to release it would be painful,
Cobwebs and critters make it a home,
Locks,
Keeps me in and other’s out,
Avoiding pain and heartbreak,
Locks,
So many I have forgotten how to communicate,
Choosing silence and shrinking myself instead,
Locks,
The bridge between the life I could have and my fear,
Worry and trauma bouncing off my protective walls,
Locks…
December 2022- R1