Valerie Zepeda

I kissed her bruises

In hopes of mending her broken spirit

She was distrusting and fearful of me

Since I’d abused and belittled her for years

She needed to feel she could trust me with her fragile and tired heart

Every round of sobriety brought me a little closer to her

And with every relapse, she’d lose faith in our potential bond

Knowing it was an attempt to silence her

When the relapses stopped, I again tried to get close to her

Nervous and distrustful

Yet she was willing to hear me out

I told her I loved her as I embraced her

I told her I was ready to keep her near

And she didn’t deserve to be drowned anymore

I explained the mere image of her was too painful in the past

I was so sorry it took me so many years to realize that it wasn’t her fault

She forgave me and told me she’d been waiting for me to accept her for 27 years

With the innocence and purity of a child’s love she opened up to me

When we became one, we discovered our power

And I’ll never be the same.