Quietly

Hope came quietly, shifting in and out of hard places

Brushing ever so slightly against the resistance of a battered soul

And despite the thorns and sharp edges, she found a crack or two in which to rest

And so she slept

And she listened

As outside, the storm continued

Until there came a day when she needed to stretch her silken wings

And as those wings unfurled, the cracks began to expand

Sweet, salty, tears flowed through them

And just like that, as if she were spring itself, she burst forth

With a fierce intent to make herself known