After being hurt by so many before, a wall is built around the heart.  So high that climbing the wall is but a dream.  No one will ever abuse or neglect this heart again.  So many years pass and coldness sets in.  Then a passing smile or touch sends shivers down the spine.  So hard is the shiver that the rust is knocked loose from the lock to that hidden heart.

Sometimes the heart is a fixer upper

The lock lays rusted with no key to be found

The gates sealed shut for years

The steps blackened by weather

The grass thick and uncut

Windows hazed to obscurity

Shingles missing from past storms

No trespassing signs litter the view

Neglect and abuse are evident

Trees that bore fruit stand empty

Old seeds litter the ground undisturbed

Not even an ant, a mouse, or a bird

No trace of life to be found

Bolt cutters in hand claiming the prize

Landscapers and roofers in tow

Painters and plumbers so much work

Although hidden the beauty is there

Knowing that this will take some time

Nothing in life worth having comes easy

Soon the outline starts to form

Followed by the details and intricacies

The fences are cleaned whitewashed

The gate is sandblasted and painted

The lock is new and shiny and unsecured

No sign of wear no signs of abuse

Life again bounds in the fresh-cut grass

Fruit from the trees feeds the birds

From the shadows to the bright light of day

A happiness, a joy, here to stay