Bridges

I always thought it was enough

To be the bridge

That takes you to the place

You want to go to

I thought it was enough

To be strong like

Bricks and cement

To be able to endure

Being stepped upon

Spat upon, littered on

I thought it was enough

To always be there

Whenever you needed me

Just so you could get to the

Other side

But now I've learnt that

None of that is enough

Because you don't just want a bridge

To cross rivers

You want beauty and comfort

You want the bridge to be

So much more than brick and cement

You want streetlights

And their warm glow

To guide you

Show you where to go

You want a railing

To lean against

When you wanted to stop for a moment

And enjoy the view

You want benches along the way

For when you get tired

And your feet ache

Or you just want to sit for a while

You want so much more

Flowers, sculptures, art

So that the bridge isn't some

Ordinary structure

And you made me feel so inadequate

So plain and boring, so easy to forget

You made me feel like

I wasn't worth remembering

And I hope you know that if you had looked closely

You would have seen the

Tiny white flowers blooming through

My cracked skin

If you had looked closely you would have seen

The fireflies that flew towards the stars

And the moon, pure and white

Guiding you even on the darkest of nights

If you had looked closely you would have seen

That I could have been enough for you

If only you hadn't been so afraid

Of something so seemingly plain