Bonds With Self and Alike

Girlfriends

Not rivals,
but reflections —
each hue a harmony,
each curve a chorus.

We gather in laughter,
wrap truth in our silences,
dance in colors drawn
from sunrise and soil.

No masks,
no hidden daggers —
just open palms,
braided trust,
and the warmth of knowing
you are seen.

Where jealousy might wither,
we bloom.
Where the world expects division,
we become
undeniable.

Strength is not solitary.
It’s shared —
in whispers,
in handclasps,
in unspoken knowing
that we rise
better
together.

Bubble Wrap

Sheathed in softness,
a cushion between me
and the breaking.

I carry pieces —
delicate,
hard-won,
etched in silence.

Each pop,
a moment remembered,
a boundary tested,
a truth escaping
the airless hold
of silence.

You see plastic —
I see a veil of
almost-safe,
almost-healed,
almost-whole.

Don’t be fooled
by the crinkle,
the quiet.
There is tension
beneath the surface.

Because even bubble wrap
can burst
under pressure.