I’ve been hurt;
My world is frightening, insecure.
I feel pain that’s palpable,
The sting is searing and pure.
Betrayal makes my stomach turn.
How could he be so bold?
Is something wrong with me?
For how much was I sold?
Glancing behind me at the shadows…
Feeling alone in a room full of people…
A tentacle, a soft finger, was burned…
What else can I label this, if not evil?
This is all true my friend.
I too have been hurt, and I am still reeling;
The world can hurt like that.
But don’t let it make you lose your feeling.
For then a soft part of you dies;
What was love can mutate into anger,
And you cover your pain with lies;
You expect to find in people danger.
Do not delude yourself, fear not the truth;
Resist the temptation to sweep it under the rug;
Fear not men, for many are worthy of you.
Do not assuage your pain with distracting drugs.
Please don’t scar up over the opened wound.
Weeping does not mean the end is near;
Rather, it signals the authentic experiencing
Of the pain, regret, sadness, anger and fear.
Too much of me has been altered, crushed.
Perhaps to run, one must first learn how to kneel.
Don’t let them rob you of your innocence:
Grit your teeth and summon the courage to feel.
Here is another poem along these lines.
To Laurie; 3/1999
“The Courage to Feel” © Jason Merchey 1999-2017
