Pain and Peace

Peace and Pain

How can the pain bring me peace?

I lay on the sofa, in a ball

Holding on to the truth

That pulls me into the place of peace

I twist and turn

And try to press the pillow into

My soul

I see her face, twisted like my heart

She doesn’t understand

Can’t understand

That I passed my pain to her

Instead of walking away

I tried to stop the train with my hands

It crushed me

The metal flew around

I tried to hold my hands up

To make a shield with my weak arms

The pieces rained down

I grabbed her, ran

Hid under the trees till the

Clanging metal became a disturbing silence

As I slip into a sleep

She sneaks away

Begins rummaging through the wreckage

She finds detached limbs

Rotting carcasses

Frozen screaming faces

A baby cries in its dead

Mother’s arms

She walks towards it

Picks it up

And brings it back to me

She asks me to hold it

Nurture it, protect it, love it

I give it all I have

But it’s not enough

My milk dries up

The baby cries at night

The howls are never-ending

She wraps the baby

And slips away

I scream, telling her not to leave

She doesn’t hear me

Because the old wreck has started

To fall in on itself

Sink holes appear

Behind her as she runs towards a shack

I see a small stream of smoke

From a chimney in the distance

I know she’s there

Seeking refuge and comfort

I leave my place in the woods

And walk to a waterfall

Place my feet in the clear cool water

And watch the tadpoles swim

In a little pool

I am refreshed

I have pain

And I have peace