Tears

"I'm not afraid of your tears."
It was barely a whisper.

Laughter bubbled from her lips,
as she tasted that salt water stream.
Show no emotion.
It was as natural as breathing now,
but every once in awhile,
the darkness within her
threatened to swallow her whole.

Whenever those tears threatened to spill,
she pulled the chain
that held the beast
whose claws sank deep into her heart.

As its claws tightened,
the line between master and prey
blurred.



And as the rest of the world quivered in fear
of her tears,
she never expected to find someone that would
stand before that beast,
look it square in the eye,
and bow;
not in fear,
but in respect.

She had always been half heaven, half hell,
unsure which color suited her more.
And in that moment,
caught between
the precipice of gaping darkness
that beckoned her,
and the beast awakening,
readying to lame her where she stood,
she saw a flicker of flame.
And there,
where before had been darkness,
a new path began to alight.

With a shaky step,
and fear pounding her veins,
she stepped into that unknown.