The Darkened Vault

The sounds of water dripping in a cave
Drip. Drip. Drip.

Barely an echo splashing about the way
Drop. Drop. Drop.

There was no pool of water accumulating
It was just the drip of sadness dissipating

The cool damp darkness was his refuge
It was a place built by man in case of a deluge

The flood of emotions needed safe processing
As there was no other easy way to be progressive

He hid himself from himself
This was the curse of being oneself

His lady loved him dearly
But that was not enough for him lately

If she knew he had retreated
She would certainly feel defeated

The original plan was for her to be his sanctuary
Her heart was to be the opposite of a mortuary

Of late, he didn’t feel safe
The battles had to be waged with his cape

All alone, he had to take care of his own
His lady needed a rock to stand on.

Who would be his safe place
When it was time to hang up the cape

Would the softness of the nape of her neck
Be his refuge and safe place to escape stress

Instead, he found it easier to withdraw his heart
Place it in a the vault where he kept his desires

Safe. Secure. Mature.
The darkened vault. Brood. Restore.

No one to tell him what to feel, when to feel, why to feel.
No voices judging, correcting, denying.

In the safety of his vault… he’d question his sanity
Find time to separate her love from her criticism

Without this creative space, their relationship wouldn’t thrive.
Funny how that worked, she was supposed to be his sanctuary

Instead… he was just her strength while providing his own protection
Not that she wanted to hurt him intentionally, but couldn’t love him perfectly

Like the caterpillar… the vault was the cocoon that will allow a resurrection
In due time, he will rise again. After he had healed himself. Transformation

Drip. Drip. Drip.
The pain slowly melted away and drained out of the cavernous vault

It was just big enough to hold all of his emotions securely
Drop. Drop. Drop.

In time, the ascension would bring back the gentleman she knew and loved.
For now, while she giggled and laughed with her girlfriends

He was mending his pain inside the darkened vault
Bringing his own dim light… to do the mending work she couldn’t do for him

The Darkened Vault

A place where a man goes to address the pain of his heart… at times when his lady is not available. The definition of availability is still being debated between the genders. Until a peaceful accord resolves this, men who are hurt by their women will turn out the lights and retreat inside their vault. The place where they can repair, regroup, recover, and emerge as strong as ever. Or so the plan goes.

The Darkened Vaulted Revelations

The contemptuous limitations imposed by a vain society bent on promoting individuality, many a man has felt caged by the constraints of conventional wisdom.

A man is supposed to show few emotions. He has to be strong. He can’t show weakness. He feels no pain.

Foolish ideology from a bygone era that’s perpetuated by the masses in the halls of locker-rooms keep men from understanding how to communicate their feelings with their woman. Fortune would have it that this malady does not plague all men the same.

However, there are instances where a man is caught so off-guard by the motions of a woman that he’s unable to process in real time an effective response. Most will give into anger or frustration and act irrationally. It is easier to act than to sit and process, let alone empathetically understand.

In these moments, when the brain is short circuiting, and the signals feel like chaotic noise, it’s very tempting to retreat into solitude. There, away from the stress, silence falls. An emotional vault captures the man and keeps him locked. It’s a form of protection. A means of decompression.

Many women dislike when their men retreat into the emotional cave. It’s dark. It’s tricky. There is no map and night vision doesn’t work. A man can easily vanish inside the cave and when he reemerges, there is no evidence of what could have burdened him.

This ambiguous return often leaves a woman perplex. How is it that a man can retreat and act like nothing is wrong? Where is his heart? Where is his compassion?

Little do many know that the man is trying to be the strong man he’s told he has to be. The cost of slipping from the mask can create untold hurt. Many a woman, while asking for a sensitive man, have brutally chastised their knight when he showed his heart. It could be out of reflex or genuine surprise. But that critical moment has taught him something very valuable.

Do not show your woman your heart.

Many men, in the privacy of a barber shop, have confessed not feeling emotionally safe with their women. Not that the women will hurt them. We’re talking about an emotional safe haven. A place where you can put down your defenses and let the woman nurture you back to strength and health.

Many men can’t do that with their women. Worse, they fear having a friend, with whom they feel safe. Especially if that friend is a feminine angel… for their women do not accept such threatening platonic treachery… causing many a man to be punished for emotional infidelity.

When such a man feels he can’t put his armor down and rest in his lady’s arms, he does what his civic training has reinforced. He builds a wall, a barrier, a defense structure, and retreats inside of his vault.

Sometimes, the escape is so well practiced that the woman barely sees the retreat. Everything is cool. Everything is fine. The plan being that once the heart has recovered, he can emerge as if nothing was ever wrong. Some days, that works. Other days, the pain is so great, the depth so dark, resurfacing takes longer and she notices.

The Vault

Appreciate you for following this mini series. All the associated posts will be linked below on a dedicated page. Click on the image or title to get to the other pieces. Thanks for reading ”The Darkened Vault Poetic Series” trilogy.

Below is the entirety of the trilogy… as it unfolds… for those who want to re-read or binge once the set is done.