I shut my heart behind a door,
And hid the little key away.
I told myself I needed no more,
And taught my heart to turn away.
O Love, you quiet, tender thief,
You came when I had ceased to care;
You slipped beneath my guarded grief
And left your little light in there.
You did not come with bells or flame,
Nor wake the sleeping world outside;
You came so softly, without a name,
And somehow made my silence wide.
It was not gold that caught my eyes,
Nor roses resting on your face;
It was the kindness in your eyes,
The quiet warmth of simple grace.
Your voice was rain upon the roof,
Your laughter woke the rooms in me;
Your eyes held something still and soft,
A place where I could simply be.
I listened more than words could say,
I watched the little things you do;
And love, that I had kept away,
Found quiet ways to lead me to you.
My walls grew weak beneath your light,
My locks forgot what locks were for;
The heart that feared the morning bright
Began to open up its door.
O Love, I ran, but you ran too;
I fled, yet still you followed near.
I thought I walked away from you,
But every road led back to you.
And now I know what I once missed:
The heart may hide, but love can see.
I thought I had escaped from love,
When love was simply finding me.
Let the old door open wide;
Let all the guarded silence cease.
For what I feared would steal my peace
Has become the place my heart finds peace.
