I brace for pain when you are sweet
Kindness feels like a hidden beat
My history taught me to beware—
That love could vanish in thin air
A gift becomes a ghost in hand
Too good to trust too soft to stand
I learned to read between the lines
To dodge affection’s silent mines
But healing rewrites every page
And fear no longer sets the stage
Not all warmth will leave me burned—
Some hands are safe Some hearts are earned
So if I pause when you reach near
It’s not rejection—it’s just fear
I’m learning now what love can do—
It’s strange and new…and maybe true
