By Audrie Bretl Roelf

I want to be your dirty, little secret.
I want to be your biggest mistake
turned your greatest achievement.
I want to inspire you to reach new heights
while the world adores your bravado.
I want to be the one to tear you down
and resurrect something grander in place.
I want to be your safety,
your shelter,
your source of pleasure, 
your greatest pain. 

I would leave it all and jump
if you gave me the nod;
Eyes closed to what's before me
Shaking off what lies behind.
Every mistake made,
Every judgement call -
Background noise - 
The crackle of the ice 
As I follow behind the curtain
to the silence of a fresh snowfall
the stillness of midnight
To catch a glimpse 
Of what I've only assembled from the pebbles, scraps of paper, and cardboard of my mind.