shreds of skin left behind. they can’t come with me. remnants of my old ways. i’m pushing forward despite the tearing and the tears. willing myself to bear just one more scar, just one more wound to deliver myself. faster and faster i’m running, my hair tangled in the wind, gripped by my past that wrenches me backwards, slowing my progress. reminding me that this is easier, staying where i am.
unmoving unchanged unblemished. pristine pretty pious. cold quiet alone.
i keep moving. thrashing blindly because i can’t see a path, just know that forward is the way, always forward. shadows splayed out beneath my feet, writhing as i run, lapping at my toes to draw me in, down to the ground. to rest with the gnarled roots that bury themselves in the dirt. cover me in dust to cloud my eyes, and i’ll find solace here in this broken place.
but i don’t. i can’t. i climb. i follow the roots to their height, clawing, rising, flying until there is light. there is light. and more gnarled hands, but they reach to the sky, crooked only from triumph. they point to the stars, reminding me i am not just of the earth but of the ether as well. as they are. strong and grounded and full of grace. i no longer gasp for air. my heart becomes still, as i ease into the space between heaven’s hand and earth’s firm grasp. there is nowhere left to run. i am here. i am here.
-sham
many thanks to Chuck, Teresa, and the Color Kitten for inspiring this poem. thanks for your love and support. you are the heroes of my spirit.
I found this in a Google Images Search for trees. How fitting.
beautiful. i see your light from here