Precious Pain 

 

I want to touch you with tender hands

As I’d hold a newborn baby

Or stroke a sleeping pet

Or caress a loved one’s brow.

 

I want to lie beneath

 A blanket of wisdom with you

While the whole world circles us,

Mending the hem.

 

But bees sting, curt replies, careless eyes,

And my lungs inflate with rage

That wants to be expelled.

 

The hardest job is

Holding my breath

Until the pain returns.

It’s not for you.

 

Ariele M. Huff