To My Inner Child

You've been beaten down, burned, and broken. You carry the weight of all the pain shoved onto you.

Every fear, every hurt, and every loss comes from you and leaves from me. You speak through me.

But we are safe now, darling. We have found a safe place in the new people around us. Some have just come along, but some have been around for very long.

I promise you, sweet child, that we no longer have to be afraid. We gained a family beyond blood.

I promise I will continue to always protect and love you in the ways you need.

But we are home. It was never the place, just the people.