Pain, expected.
like a frequent customer
late-night television commercial
the mental post-it note
always around, it has an assigned seat at the dinner table
so familiar that it’s left a worn impression on the sofa
yet–
Pain, so unexpected it guts you
blooms from the chest
knocks you out
off-kilter, all at once
a vice, a ghost?
deafening
a bring-you-to-your-knees, stop time, tunnel vision, vertigo kind of pain–
Go forth
a sea of calm awaits life’s devastating storms
be present, feel your heart thunder in its finality and solidarity
choose bravery despite the odds
your caesura
a personal enjambment
What else are we meant to do?