She Told Me That Her Heart Speaks For Her — So I Listened
Her heart was and will always be her strength.
Sjale / shutterstock By Derrick Ochieng
She told me that he tamed her wildness. That her heart had forgotten what it was like to beat faster in the thrill of the moment. That she longed for the days when she was a free soul, the days when her heart wasn’t caged.
So I gave her my word to preserve the little sense of her that was left inside.
She told me that her heart speaks for her. That he never knew how to listen to the stills of her heart. So I learned, with great patience and care, the ways of her heart.
I learned to listen to the silence her heart is speaking in — the words that no soul could comprehend.
She told me that her wounds, her pain devours her from the inside. That the voices in her head turn her into something she doesn’t want to be. She opened her heart to me, showed me her pain.
So I touched and embraced every wound she had. In the midst of her scars, I found great beauty. An unmatched love numbed by the pain.
She told me that she loves too much. That love is her weakness. But I thought differently.
Love, to me, makes her strong. Her heart was and will always be her strength.
She told me that she cries a lot. That one day, a river would be named after her. A river of her tears.
So I gave her my shoulder. It was all hers no matter how damp she’d make it. If her tears made a river then I’d be honored to drown in it.
She told me that she is afraid. She is afraid of the dark. That the dark brings out all that she never liked. That the dark brings out her great sorrow. She told me that the dark would always awaken her demons.
So I slept by her side every night, held her close and gave her my word to always be her light in the darkness.
I gave her my word to always be by her side.
She told me she is willing to fight. She told me that her heart prepared itself for the wars ahead, so all she needs is the reassurance that I won’t give up on her, on our love.
So I gave her my word to always be the guardian of her heart, the protector of our love.
She told me she hates sweet nothings and unfulfilled promises. She said that she wants something real, from the bottom of the heart. So I asked her to allow me to make one last promise, not to make any more promises.
She told me that she is afraid that one day, she’d walk out the door and never come back. So I promised myself to never give her a reason to leave.
She told me she hates games. That she resents them with all her heart.
So I looked into her eyes, told her everything she needed to know. This time, not a word said. I kissed her like it was my last one.
She smiled. I smiled back.
Derrick Ochieng is a social media manager and writer whose work has been featured on Thought Catalog and Unwritten. He writes primarily about relationships and love topics. For more, visit his author profile.