A Warrior Repressed

I like the idea of being frightening,
enducing uncertainty,
a perilous seduction of the soul.
To fear is to love cautiously,
and while I wish I was fierce
I know I am only fragile.
I need a soothing presence
to stroke my anxieties
and remedy my aches.
On the surface I'm rigid
but the core of me is molten,
barely contained and never stable.
Still I strap on my armor,
intimidation is an easy mask
despite the exhausted marrow.
I'm pretending to have that spark,
that which I lack,
that which I found and admire in you.
You're my shield, my sword, my hope.