The Only Exception...

The Garden Heart

A girl who's loved and loved again,
Taught to guard the garden of her heart,
For many have tried and tried again,
To walk the paths others have marred.

The key to the garden hangs around her neck,
Tucked out of sight to rest 'gainst her chest.

Many have stood at the gate to proclaim their affection,
But their desires held no honor, and weren't worth her attention.

She sat on a bench facing the gate,
And listened as a boy on the other side babble on
About nothing unimportant without showing off.
Each evening he'd leave, only to be back the next day.

This boy never asked for anything.
Leaned up against the fence is where he often sat.
A smile on his face when she started talking back,
Telling him so many things.

The more he came, the happier she was.
The more she knew 'bout the boy next door,
The more she seemed to fall in love,
And the more ached, dreamed, and longed for more.

And it led her to risking all she had left,
By placing her key 'round the boys neck.

Day after day the boy retuned but entered not,
Unaware the gate no longer had to be locked.

And one day he came over, and said unto her,
"Give me something so I know what we have is true.
Give me something that proves I mean something to you",
Looking into her eyes to search for an answer.

So she says, "I've already given you all that I have."
He says "What have you given me? Please tell me, what?
What have you given me that proves this is love?"
There's a long pause, till she says at last,

"I gave you the key to the gate.
You can now enter, you can unlock the door.
But still you stand there, and patiently wait,
Even though all that I have is already yours."

And she smiles at him, but her smile is sad,
For he's much afraid of loving her back.

'Cuz in unlocking the gate, others will see,
But they will see danger instead of the beauty.

So he leaves the key to hang round his neck,
And simply decides every day to come back.

But she knows at some point it won't be enough,
And he'll have to leave, or admit to the love,

But if he is to leave, he'll have to take the key with him,
Because she is not one to take back what she's given.

So she waits at the gate for him to do something,
Whether he'll enter the garden, and join her at last,
Or chose to depart, and leave her with nothing,
Either way the key will be something he'll always have.