This poem is so good that I can’t help but read it over and over, even though it rips out my guts every single time.
Some things leave no room for misunderstanding,
like your climbs to the tops of towering pines,
and your belief that you can never cry.
At age five, you dream of a woman
with wings like a bat dressed all in black.
She swoops down, grabs you, pins you in her lap,
and while hitting you over and over, she’s whispering
that it will end when you stop struggling;
so you pretend to relax until her grip loosens
and then you fight to escape, but each time
her strength overwhelms you. It takes
several beatings before you realize
she is trying to help you, she is teaching you
how to be brave—
how to be so still
that you can let yourself have no feeling
when the scratchy hands are pressing into you,
like the night lets itself be swallowed by darkness.
An eight-year-old now, you’re standing
outside their locked bedroom door…
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O at the Edges 
Oh boy. You weren’t kidding about the guts ripping out. What a poem.
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Stephanie really brought it on this one!
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That was a killer. WordPress needs a gutted button.
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Agreed!
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I agree! Powerful.
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And brave.
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Extremely.
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Pingback: Brave | clawingmywayin
Indeed.
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Stephanie nailed it!
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Bob,This is the most incredible poem I have ever read!!And the subject matter and shocking language left me breathless.P.S. Need your mailing address as soon as possible. *wink*
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It is an incredible poem, isn’t it Obi-Ron? I sent you the address a few days ago.
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What a brave poem. Resonates with me so well having gone through similar stuff. Heartbreaking reading, but a very good poem. Thankyou
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Oh, yes. Difficult to read, but so well done.
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Wow! Awesome!!
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It is, as is the poet.
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Hahahahaha, yeah!!!
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A woman with wings like a bat! (Shiver)
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I know!
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Thank you for sharing this.
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You’re very welcome, Merril. It needs to be read.
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Very triggering piece for me. So beautifully written on such a painful topic. Thank you for sharing.
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I was very pleased to share this powerful piece.
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Superb Writing! This poem strikes hard, made all the more effective without the use of literary devices such as simile or metaphor,
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It is indeed superb writing.
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Stabs like a knife, doesn’t it. What scares me is I know she is speaking for hundreds who have no voice but have lived this.
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Yes, it does. Those silent voices, or those that are not heard!
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