Fragment 14 — Standing Down

Those of us who feel safe with ourselves
but have learnt to distrust others
spend our days scanning for threat.

We notice the warnings —
the sign that says Anti-Climb Paint,
the wall built too high to see over.

What we miss
is the leaf falling softly to the ground,
the slow work of trust beginning again in the soil.

The cost of vigilance
is never being able to stand down.