Open

 

 

pain shreds your voice

but inside I’m singing

even as the usual platitudes

fall smooth and ready moulded

from my lips

 

your life lies in pieces

around your feet

hard to keep your balance

when you’re tripping over

shards so sharp they burn

 

but I remember a man

afraid to love

a heart too hard to open

a boy who would never grow

while his face was turned from the sun

 

and I know that now you’re raw

and tender as a newborn

your heart is washed with blood

your face slick with tears

but every cell divides to grow

and love was never easy