Winter Marling

If you’re angry, will you tell me?
If you’re sad, will you call?
You don’t have to know the answer,
You don’t have to fix it all.
I can hear what you don’t finish,
I will meet you where you are.
I don’t need to solve your story,
I just want to guard your heart.

I’ve only ever loved one person.
I’ve only been touched by one man.
I’m not lost or disillusioned,
I know exactly where I stand.
Your thoughts are moving north
While something pulls you south,
I have a taste for what is true,
And turning it over in my mouth.

We will work the ground between us,
Heavy earth beneath our hands,
Not to take what is not given
But to help each other stand.
Marl is bitter, loam is balance,
Messy work, a fruitful start.
Love in labor, love is tending,
I will keep safe your heart.

Sometimes I like to wander, wonder
Where the edges really lie,
Because you’re reaching while retreating
And I’m sorting truth from why.
I’m not trying to be temptation,
I’m not here to pull you apart,
I just see that you are hurting
And I want to guard your heart.

Maybe happiness looks different
Than the stories we were told,
Love can mean protecting
What we never get to hold.
So I’ll stay inside the question,
Let the certainty depart,
I won’t make myself a liar,
As I learn this subtle art.

We will bless the ground beneath us,
Leave the roots where they belong,
Holding close a steadfast mercy
As the seasons carry on.
We’ll make fertile what was barren,
Even when we are apart,
We will keep the work of loving,
I will guard your heart.