When You Come to Me

When you come to me,

Come softly.

Tap,

Don’t knock at the door.

Let me take my time in rising to meet you.

See,

It has been so long

And these twelve short months

Drenched in eternities

Weigh heavily on my arms,

Making embracing you difficult.

When you come to me,

Don’t rush into conversation

Or even apologies.

I won’t be sure you mean them.

I need time

To push back “Do you believe me yet” and “I told you so”

From rolling off my tongue before hello.

Before how are you?

Before, are we still?

Stand still at the door and wait,

Until I feel safe enough in your presence

To say I love you first.

And to mean it.

When you come to me

After the election,

The wars,

The storms,

The never ending barrage of choices

Meant to do me and my people in

Choices that you helped decide upon,

Remember,

That I have always been your friend,

And I just may need

A little bit of time.