PAIN

Not around the periphery of my womb

nor around the circumference of my heart - 

fusing the hemispheres of my brain

so they function as on

with only one thought.

Across the skies and oceans and streams and mountains and deserts and the Universe...and beyond

even permeating the sanctum sanctorum of my innermost self

I never drew boundaries that would not let you in,

and yet

Today I stand

holding on to a tiny straw

with fear lest even that tiny little window of hope 

that you have left me holding on to so tight

be taken away.

 

My soul has a hearing

I deny all the time

but I can’t explain

away the pain

when you shout

for no reason or rhyme

My soul has a sight

I deny all the time

but I can’t explain

away the pain

when you slap

for no reason or rhyme

My soul has a voice

I deny all the time

and it tells me again

and again

walk away when you’re made to cry

for no reason or rhyme.

 

As I grow older

I am more empathetic

towards my own soul

for years I have let her bear

the brunt of my living

bearing her down and demanding

she put up with vile and disrespect

be taken for granted

trampled upon

and passed over

But now, as I grow older

she is all that matters

ensconced within me my soul

childlike, pure and sacred

do not fly away yet

Life is not done.