Sunday, November 13, 2022

Without Poetry

It was a year without poetry

Such a short time to have felt so long

Wounds so deep - shocking 

considering how it started

Your hand begging mine to hold it

Mine reserved

The pressures of duty, the external why nots so loud I couldn’t hear myself think

The guilt of not knowing why I didn’t want to

A childlike excitement elicited with a maybe, then a yes

Your certainty, my reluctance - your patience 

The awww shucks manner that lowered my defenses - me stupidly thinking you were stupid

Wounded bird - abandoned by mother - forsaken by family

I wanted to heal your damaged heart

Take the pain away

I wanted to protect you

Then it came

The other shoe

Like a missile

Blame

Why are you the way you are?

Why can’t you treat me right?

Why do you never do what you say you’ll do?

Why aren’t you perfect?

You are perfect. You should go to the gym more. I can make you better.

I love you. Why can’t you love me back the same way?  I can teach you.

I would never leave you. The hot girl at the gym hit on me again. 

Jealousy.

Sleep deprivation.

Insults.

Gaslighting.

Substance abuse.

Building up.

Breaking down.

Lying.

Cheating.

Stealing.

Leaving.

Ignoring.

Punishing.

Name calling.

You shattered the glass until my reflection was unrecognizable

Screamed until I couldn’t hear my own voice

Took the beautiful parts of me and made them ugly

Until it was time

And I knew it and you knew it too

Absolution was never going to come

You couldn’t be saved

I cut you off like a grangrenous limb

Poisoning the health of the rest of the body

And after some phantom limb pain

The sun came out again, birds sang

My voice returned and found its song

Back straightened, memory restored

I remembered who I was and why I was strong enough to love someone like you through your rage in the first place.



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