naked, i sit perched on my mattress,
borne free of it sheets,
like an egg gently teetering
back and forth before i fall.
silently i ask my arms to coil
around me repeating their embrace,
mimicking the lengths of rope used
to moor a ship to its dock-
tight and safe and steady, so i
will not drift unexpectedly into
the vast and unpredictable sea.
anguish internalized,
reverberates in my bones
causing tension in my sinew,
validating my existence to the faintly
pulsing heart i shelter within
my delicate shell.
only dry, purposeless breath
escapes my lips.
a hot wind over the back side of
the mirror like a heat wave
making the elusive image
of my face waver and fade.
a mischievous mirage!
i am a woman, i am a
child ,the present and past
collide, a thundering din
peels loud and long,
survived only by the silent
sparkling shards of my soul,
scattered on the floor,
blinking back at me!
March 18, 2007
