Thank you for the offer

I'm not opening the door for you anymore...
I've opened it before
and shown you
my heart.

You may have to knock a bit louder
You may have to find a window to look inside and see if
I'm still there
I'm here. My heart has earmuffs on. It can't hear your knocking.
Only the doorbells of
others.

I'm not crossing the bridge with you anymore...
I've taken leaps and traveled paths
I don't normally take
winding words and finding wisdom
down those roads
dark or
narrow or
brambled or
with wild flowers overgrown and fragrant

I'll walk the paths, but you may be
further ahead
or in darker places
or there's briar there
or in the field with
others
dancing among the fireflies.

The truth is
it still hurts
it still feels real
it still fires up my soul
to think of you
to see you standing there
knocking
asking to go for walks
I
just
found
others
to take
those walks
with

thank you, though, for the offer.