Bleed

•-•-••

Poetry is a violent act
Words polished and honed
With one purpose
To drive deep into your defenses
And, once buried, expand
So that cracks begin to form
So that a hole opens up

Defenses penetrated, these words
Pierce the heart
Or, if well aimed,
The soul
They pierce so deep
Emotions, impulses once buried
Seep out
Like blood

And then
Like a barbed spear
These words rip the hole wider
As the poem ends and they retreat
And nothing but your seeping heart and cracked defenses remain
Except
You find
You are a little bigger

Shred

These hands
Pulsing
Weary from grasping
Ripping
These wrists
Tightly wound with the shreds

These arms quivering
Tensing
Tearing
With patience and control
Slowly
Slowly
Making it last
Opening up space for
Every
Single
Fiber
To let loose
In its own time
A sigh
As it breaks in two

These tears welling
Spilling
This jaw clenching
This heaving of my chest
As my arms spread apart
The fabric gives way
In one final release
And one piece becomes two

Energy courses
Down
Up
Out of my body
My arms hang loose
My hands still clasping
My wrists still bound
In shreds
Holding
Savoring this
Holding
Until my hands
Are ready
To let go
To rest
To take up another piece
And tear it in two
Over and over
Again and again
Until finally
My rage is satisfied
And this shirt
Reduced to ribbons
Shredded
Like my heart