Learning To Fly

She wraps her heart in armor,
without quite knowing why,
folding her thoughts
into delicate shapes,
like paper birds
with broken wings
that never fly.

Her dreams are filled with memories
of doors she almost walked through,
hands she almost held,
and love she almost knew.

But safety first,
protect her heart,
that old familiar song.
Birds in cages are safe,
but that's not where birds belong.

So she waits,
fearing love will break her
but not quite knowing why.
What if she's a broken bird
that never learns to fly?