Writing Prompt: Dear Fear..
Dear Fear,
There are days that I don’t think about you at all.
You hide yourself well
often appearing when I least expect it.
I see you in my baby girl’s smiling eyes
I hear you in her coos
I feel you in her embrace
I smell you in her scent,
as I hold her tightly
while she tugs gently on my face
Knowing that she is secure in my arms
But she is just a child,
innocent to the devils that disguise themselves
as love, protection, safety
Because even those who say that love you
still hurt you.
Fear you consume me
My life is no longer my own
I belong to her
and I am afraid
that I won’t always be able to protect her
to shield her
to guard her
when even in school
she may not be safe
I try to let you go
But every day you return
and every day I welcome you back in.
nancy arroyo ruffin 