and there are no more self-imposed layers

between me and the outer world.

I am unbound and undefended.

A human heart, fully exposed.

A Red soul, set free.

I open my swollen, soaked eyes

and Sarah is standing in front of me

with fire in her eyes and roses in her cheeks.

Her mangy black robes have changed

into magnificent red-and-gold folds.

She is glowing.

She has filled out her flesh

and found her heart.

She has Come Back to Life.

She takes off her robes,

revealing her naked body,

and showcases the “battle” scars

she has incurred by becoming human.

She has been scarred for Life.

I am awestruck by my human soul’s Natural Beauty.

She is wounded and Whole,

weathered and Radiant,

lined and Sublime.

She is Real.

She is me.

Sarah smiles and steps closer.

We lean in and rub noses.

We giggle.

We raise our hands to hold each other’s faces

and stare into each other’s eyes.

True Love is our reflection.

We start to do an ecstatic jig around the room,

spinning and jumping,

laughing and crying,

singing and shouting.

Sarah grabs my hand and turns us outward

so we’re facing the whole world

Together.

She gets a mischievous look,

cocks her head,

and belts out a line from a

stadium-anthem Jock Jams song:

“Y’all ready for this?!”

Then, my soul twirls into my open arms

and I Am Home.