Friend,
what if your pain
was a gathering place
for the too many
sorry events of your life,
of unwanted memories,
all pressed together,
held in an airless train,
stopped dead on its tracks,
mouth gagged.
with no water or bread,
forced into silence —
walled in, ignored
and abandoned?
Go there,
break through
the barricade!
Find the sorrow
of this petrified place
and take its hand,
move it gently,
offer support
to its naked bones.
Moisten the fused dry lips
with thawing tears
Ask what is hiding there?
Kindly coax the secret dread
Place yourself at its service
in the hollow of its mouth
place fresh fruit
give it time to chew.
Then
walk it through
the broken wall into the open air.
Be patient – it may move slowly.
Now see thru its eyes –
a new world.
It may stare out in wonder,
smile, laugh, or cry.
Don’t drop its bony hand,
put it to your cheek
and ask yourself,
Is this what I was afraid of?