When a soul is born it is just a heart,
To be surrounded by purest love,
To be cushioned by absolute comfort,
Exposed and receptive to the whims of above.

Programmed to survive, yearning to thrive
By connecting to other hearts.
Every smidgen of experience becomes self,
Preparing to cope as she departs.

Despite best efforts, life does its thing,
Irrevocably, passersby leave craters,
Sometimes out of carelessness, occasionally cruelty,
Criticisms, rejections, violations, and haters.

Astroids crashing into an atmosphere-less planet,
Her sensitivity intensifies the encounters.
Her soul almost shatters against the abrasions,
She was nearly broken when they found her.

Years pass and she grows a shell,
and a predictive missile defense system.
Fully equipped with reactions to deflect, stories to protect, and beliefs to reject,
Obscuring how much she missed him.

Defense mechanisms just as precise
At keeping out love as keeping out threats.
She feels safe again, but she is alone,
Desperately aching to connect.

Longing for her days of just being a heart,
To be surrounded by purest love,
To be cushioned by absolute comfort,
Exposed and receptive to the whims of above.