my greatest learning

i feel vulnerable
revealing so much
to her, her friends
to my friends
strangers
about the delicate
nuances of my emotional
landscape
i feel frightened
that opening myself
to new experiences
will close me
to the ones i treasure
but these are fallacies
which i overcome
when she holds my hand
and guides me gently
through the steps
caressing me softly
so that i find all the places
where the joy resides
the fear subsides
and i find, miraculously
that giving myself away
i receive everything in return
my gratitude immense
for these things
she teaches me