Taking her hand 
meant proving something 
terrible: 

             I'd been worth 
             that kind of love 
             the whole time 

I had wasted 
de-creating
 
But: 

I was ready 
to walk in the direction 
of my life

Virginia Laurie is a Creative Writing M.F.A. Candidate and Teaching Assistant at University of North Carolina Wilmington. Her work has been published in Apricity Magazine, Santa Clara Review, South Florida Poetry Journal, and more. Find her online at https://virginialaurie.com/.