Link by link this chain is built:
A comforting hug between partners,
The touch of a friend’s hand,
Blankets I pull up under my daughter’s chin.

Link by link I fasten them together:
My sister’s voice over the phone,
Emailed reflections from a kindred spirit,
A sweater my mother knitted snug about me.

And this is not a rope.
And this is not a cage.
And this is not a weight, bearing me down.
This is armor.

Here is where I weave my strength.
Here is where I forge my shield.
Here is where I’m rooted in my solid ground.
Steadily I build it. Link by link.