Valerie Zepeda

And within her, she found that little girl

She embraced her with the delicateness of a flower’s petals touching the wind

She felt her presence in moments of joy

And saw her invisible darkness in moments of negativity

She battled with fear and so did I

We challenged it together from different perspectives

Through the innocence of a child as though hiding from a monster in the dark under covers

And me, trying to remain objective as I consider only what could be controlled whilst carrying a subjective ego

Trying to remember fear is projected onto the present from experiences of the past

Although we both walked with fear, we held each other’s hand

And as long as we did, we both knew we’d be okay

She was everything,

the universe,

the love I sought,

the peace I longed for.

She was me.