True Colors

A poem in response to someone who swore he loved me, then changed his mind.

from your lips, pleas fell
to see my all the colors of my soul
for had I nothing to fear
from one who loved me true?

for love, I shed my shields
let you peek inside
at all that is and was
every hue and shade of me

with all my colors exposed
I watched your forsworn love
wither to ashes in the wind
mingled with my tears

But real rainbows don't last, darling
wisps of color fade into mist
unable to cling for long
to the barest hints of light

Real constant beauty is found
in shards of tinted glass
buried deep inside
where light and life shine through

My stained-glass windowed soul
held together by shed blood
built by faith, tears and memory
is where my true beauty lives

And while you go on your search
For more wisps of faded rainbows
My stained glass shards stand tall
Beauty that remains, now hidden

Shadows now protect my true colors
from you, and those like you
whose touch seeks only to destroy
all whose love you try to claim.