The Fortress

That first blow
Rocked us to the core
Smashed the stone and gravel to dust
And the fears that were so long dreaded
And perhaps secretly desired
Were upon us.

The first blow
Blinding and blistering
Shoulders torn and jaws wrenched
Knees bent and bloodied
And the tears that were so long guarded
And perhaps willfully suppressed
Sprang forth.

And there was pain
And a dying off
A shredding of tenuous comfort
Of grasped innocence.

But the breaking was necessary
for the evolution, the re-creation of the barren terrain.

In the space of a breath
we were crushed
and remade.

March 7, 2013