Within

Caught within Winter’s fevered embrace,

a desire to be numbed,

to feel no pain.

Marching forward,

tears frozen to my cheeks

eyes blinded to the warmth

as I traverse the plains of snow.

Within,

I chain my beating heart

desperate to rip free

the sorrow and anguish

that this rage and torment fuel.

Locked in my mind

looping over and over

are tapes of my youth

the silent jeers and taunts

that I have swallowed,

ignored,

ingested,

made into a part of me.

Within Winter’s frozen embrace

I find my madness so clean

so easy to comprehend.

For within Winter’s dying embrace

I give up my denial,

my fight,

and I allow the sun to penetrate.

Jay-lyn Doerksen

December 27/17